


Guardian Wolf

by SuperAwesomePandaKitty



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Good Theo Raeken, Hayden does not exist in this either, Kidnapping, M/M, Mates, Smut, Wolf Theo, takes place in a world where 6b never happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-04-22 03:33:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 32,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14299866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperAwesomePandaKitty/pseuds/SuperAwesomePandaKitty
Summary: Theo escapes the Dread Doctors before he can be used to try and manipulate the pack. He lives as a wolf in the preserve and only comes out to help protect the other chimeras...And then the a certain beta.This a plot bunny that wouldn't leave my head and I needed to get this out there but I will be adding an epilogue <3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually kinda proud of this one, I'm sorry if it's been done but I still liked writing it. Will be writing an epilogue so don't worry if you reach the end and need more. (Me too tbh)

Theo ran through the dense forest, he could feel the earth beneath his paws, the scent of fresh pine permeating the air and he couldn't think of a better feeling.

He was free.

No more experiments, no more pain and suffering, no more having to witness dead teenagers that were failures...or so he'd thought.

He was their first success at creating a chimera that could full-shift and that would put them onto phase two of their plans and he didn't want to be a part of that.

He and Caleb had escaped the week before, they had hidden themselves in the preserve and were sure that there was no way they could be found but when Theo was out hunting for food for them in his wolf form...They had traced Caleb's frequency and captured him.

Theo shivered as he remembered the cries of the other boy; Caleb was a mixture of werejaguar and kitsune but he couldn't full-shift or fully control his powers, he tried in vain to shout for Theo but the Doctors terrified him.

His coyote side had been too strong and he'd hidden like a coward...

Theo sighed sadly, he wondered; not for the first time, why the doctors hadn't noticed him that night but he figured that maybe they couldn't trace him in his full-shift. It's hard to track human, werewolf and coyote frequencies all at once he supposed.

He counted his blessings where he could find them.

Theo shook his head from his murky thoughts, he could hear the trembling heartbeat of a teenage girl somewhere in the forest and he wasn't going to let her be another Caleb.

She was running too, away from something but he couldn't be sure what that was as he was still too far from her and her pursuers.

The girl let out a loud scream, he could hear mocking laughter in response and he pushed himself further.

Almost there.

There was a group of men and they had cornered her. The girl was crying now, begging them not to hurt her and they laughed sinisterly as they taunted her.

One of the men must of had enough of toying with her as he moved closer, grabbing her by the leg and she cried out in fear.

Theo let out a loud howl, startling them all as he bit down on the man's arm and caused him to scream in pain. He dragged the man away from her, swinging him to the side before letting go and launching at the others.

He swung his claws down and scratched one of them before biting the leg of the other. The men looked scared, his glowing eyes proving that he wasn't something to be messed with and he backed up protectively in front of the girl. He let out a menacing growl and they ran with their tails between their legs, pushing each other out of the way to get out of there first.

When he was sure they were gone, he blinked until his eyes stopped glowing before turning to the girl with a questioning head tilt and she looked up at him in awe.

"Thank you." She breathed and he nodded, nudging her side softly until she stood up. He walked with her until she got to her car, her keys still on the ground where the men must have chased her off and she got into her car quickly.

Theo turned away then, running back to his den with a sense of pride. It would never make up for Tara...but it was a start.

After that, he kept doing it. Helping people gave him a sense of purpose, he'd learned to live as the wolf and he'd made peace with the fact that he didn't deserve to be among people.

One night; he sensed another chimera in the preserve and the smell of fear and a mixture of supernatural filtered through his den with the breeze. His head raised, ears twitching as he tried to figure out the direction the frightened chimera was in and before he could think about it he was running.

The boy looked to be only fourteen, he was frantically looking behind him and the shine of the mercury was reflecting in the moonlight. Theo rushed forward, the boy skidding to a halt in front of him and he looked terrified of the older chimera but he huffed urgently at him to get him to follow.

The two ran together, the boy's breathing was ragged and Theo knew that he needed a lot of rest but he could hear the clicking behind him. He was terrified himself but he couldn't let this turn into a Caleb situation;  _never again_.

He led the kid towards the sheriff's station in town, the boy let out a breath of relief when he realised where they were and he pushed himself further towards it. Theo stopped then and turned, determined to hold them back somehow until the kid could get help.

The Dread Doctors didn't even spare him a glance as they passed him and he growled at them to get their attention. They seemed to disappear in front of his eyes, reappearing suddenly closer to the station in front of the boy and his heart skipped as he realised the deputies outside didn't even see them.

No!

He ran forward as fast as he could but the kid was already screaming as they killed him declaring him a failure. Theo huffed in defeat, the Doctors had already gone and he made his way over to the kid and looked down at the boy's open eyes. He was staring at the sky, a tear making its way down his cheek as the mercury streamed from his nose and Theo felt like howling.

He quickly ran off when he heard the deputies running outside as they finally noticed the body, dodging a couple of gunshots as they probably thought he'd attacked him and he easily outran them when they gave chase.

Theo started to realise that he couldn't do anything to save the chimeras, not really and he had a thought that maybe if he gave himself up they would stop creating more but he knew that would only give them the ability to make more. Other chimeras that he'd come across all had evidence that they were trying to replicate what they had done to him and most of the time they met the same unhappy end.

It was when he was out visiting Tara's bridge when he smelt it.

A spicy yet sweet scent that was close by, he was actually annoyed that he hadn't noticed it sooner as he could hear two other heartbeats in the area but no one was moving. He tried not to make any sudden movements as he focused his hearing to hear the voices whispering to each other.

"What do you get from him?" The voice questioned.

"I don't know, his heartbeat is calm...He smells good?" The other voice replied curiously.

"He smells good? What the hell? We're trying to find out if he has ulterior motives."The first voice said in a frustrated tone.

Theo knew there was no one else in the area but him and the voices and he was surprised that they even knew anything about him.

He turned his back, suddenly self-conscious but not wanting to draw suspicion so he walked slow enough away and he could hear the onlookers debating whether they were going to follow. In the end, they took a step forward and a twig snapped so he turned his head with a growl which seemed to spook them enough to stay away.

Grinning to himself he turned and ran, making sure to take all the misdirection routes before he finally settled in his den for the night. He needed to be careful to mask his scent from now on, whoever these people were, they had at least one werewolf and he didn't want to be caught unawares.

He crossed paths with the snarky voice a week later, he didn't smell like the scent he'd noticed but that didn't quite matter as he was in the presence of an alpha wolf. Alphas could do a lot of damage, or so he'd heard as he'd never actually met one before and he would much prefer not to get up close.

He sensed the fear from another chimera; this one was part chameleon and was using his abilities to his advantage. The problem with his invisibility wasn't that he could be seen if he moved, the Dread Doctors had actually done a good job with that but he could smell the fear pouring off of him in waves and his heartbeat was racing.

Theo had done the unthinkable, he'd left the safety of the preserve and had headed into the town. He found himself at the highschool, the teen had hidden himself on the bleachers in front of the lacrosse field and Theo could see that the Alpha and the snarky one were calling out for him.

"Corey! You're not in trouble, we're here to help we promise." The Alpha was calling out soothingly.

"Yeah, we're totally here to help. We're not going to grill you for information." The snarky one said sarcastically.

"Stiles!" The Alpha shouted disapprovingly.

"What? Scott, I'm kidding."  _Stiles_  said with a smirk. "It's not like he can hear us, he's more than likely run off."

Theo stalked a little closer, he knew the chimera hadn't moved, not wanting the Alpha to hear his movements and he didn't want to risk the kid having a heart attack if they got closer.

"Yeah but we want him to trust us not have you scare him off." Scott said genuinely.

"Fine." Stiles sighed but he had the decency to look guilty. Theo made his move when they got closer to the invisible chimera, hearing the hitch of his breath as Stiles had walked into him and the shifted chimera ran forward to put himself in between them.

"Shit!" Stiles shouted in surprise as Theo pushed him back, knocking him into the Alpha's waiting arms and he let out a growl, nudging the chameleon chimera with his back leg and the boy seemed to get the hint then as he took his chance to run.

Scott herded Stiles behind him protectively, facial features shifting and growling at Theo. Theo leapt over them, Stiles letting out an undignified squawk as he found himself face to face with the chimera.

"What do you want?" Scott asked angrily, moving again in front of Stiles but Theo bared his teeth in a grin when he noticed that Stiles was glaring at him. He merely chuffed at them then and turned to run back to the preserve.

"Are we just going to let him get away?" Stiles asked his friend and Scott sighed in response.

"I'm not sure, he didn't seem like he was trying to hurt anyone." He replied with a confused frown.

"Are you kidding? He just tried to eat me!" The snarky one shouted.

Theo stopped, turning his head to wink at Stiles and the boy turned to Scott with an ' _are you seeing what I'm seeing_ ' expression, Scott merely rolling his eyes with a fond grin as Theo took off.

' _The Beast_ ' that's what they were calling it, the Dread Doctors called it something else but it was always something they were obsessed with creating and Theo was their one hope at doing it.

They were successful at creating the full-shift but Theo shuddered as he remembered the excruciating pain he felt when they had injected him with a substance to try to do  _more_. Caleb got the same treatment but his mixture of fire Kitsune and werejaguar were apparently not suitable for the transformation.

He froze during his hunt when he heard them; there was a woman's voice asking a man where they were going and he moved closer through the brush.

"Just a bit further." The man was smirking but the woman couldn't see it and Theo's heart raced when he recognised him as one of the other chimeras that tried to stop him and Caleb from leaving.

 _Marcus_.

"We should call Scott." She said and Theo looked at her thoughtfully, wondering if it was the Alpha or someone else.

"Relax, I know what I'm doing we're almost there." He replied and Theo had a bad feeling as he readied himself.

He could see the look of suspicion and worry on the girl's face and he suddenly wished she hadn't come here with him.

"You know what? I'm calling Scott." She suddenly said, phone already in her hand as she unlocked it but Marcus was faster as he snatched the phone out of her hand and threw it somewhere behind him. "What are you doing?!" She shouted angrily but he could smell the fear she felt.

"You know too much Lydia." Marcus murmured with a grin and before she could scream he hit her knocking her unconscious before he walked off. He left her there in the dirt and Theo quickly ran over to her when he was sure Marcus was gone.

He grimaced when he noticed the blood running from her temple and into her hair. He debated with himself, turning to find her phone with a faint trace of her scent and he lifted it with his mouth carefully before setting it beside her.

' _Shit._ ' He thought to himself, he was going to have to risk being noticed by the Doctors in order to get her help as he couldn't lift her without having to bite her. Theo took a shuddering breath before shifting back to human for the first time in over a month, he quickly rolled around in the dirt to disguise the fact that he didn't have any clothes on and he picked up her phone.

Cursing when he noticed she had a password, he gently picked her up before hurrying back to the den and he pulled on a tattered pair of jeans he used to own which had since become shorts. He hurried through the forest then with the injured girl in his arms and took the shortcut to the hospital.

When he ran in, he received a lot of suspicious stares at his appearance and he quickly rushed over to a nurse who seemed to recognise her.

"What the hell happened to her?" The woman asked protectively, the name Melissa was on her name badge and she was looking over Lydia worriedly.

"Someone attacked her, she needs help." He told her urgently, Melissa motioned for someone to bring a bed over for her and he set the girl down gently.

"Who are you?" She asked suspiciously, eyeing someone behind his back and he turned quickly. The first thing he noticed was  _that scent_  and the three boys were looking him over. He could tell that one of the boys was the chameleon chimera as he could smell the same mixture from before but the blondish one with the blue eyes was staring at him, his  _scent_ was somehow causing his wolf to preen and he knew then that this was the wolf that had been with the snarky one.

The boy looked at Lydia warily before narrowing his eyes back to Theo and he started to advance on the older chimera.

Theo didn't wait, he ran. Once he was under the cover of the trees he shifted, landing on four paws and the jeans were uncomfortable to run in with his tail so he quickly shimmied them off before the werewolf could catch him.

"Wait!" He heard from behind but he couldn't allow himself to be caught, he'd already spent enough time in his human form as it was and had no doubts that the Doctors would be making their way for him.

The werewolf growled when he slid into a cave that had an opening at the other end which would take him closer to the den and the other teen wasn't able to fit through the gap.

A few days later Theo decided he wasn't getting involved with this anymore; he couldn't take on the Dread Doctors and he knew it. How was he supposed to save the other chimeras when they operated on a different frequency? The face of the boy they had killed outside of the sheriff's station still haunted him.

Theo started watching the Alpha and his pack though, he couldn't help it and he told himself it was because he needed to make sure the chameleon chimera was safe.

Yeah, Theo was a glutton for punishment. He told himself over and over, he wasn't going to help out; he was going to save himself...He'd done enough. After all, it was practically his fault that half formed chimeras were coming out of the woodworks and the body count was rising.

He wondered what the Alpha and his pack would think about him then. Stiles would probably turn him over as a bargaining chip but even they seemed to be desperate to stop all this. Maybe that was why he was drawn to them.

Yup, that was the only reason. Not the beta who was currently pacing the lacrosse field, ' _The Beast_ ' had been resurrected successfully and he knew it was someone close to the boy.

"Liam." Theo tensed when he noticed Marcus making his way over to the beta.

"What do you want?" Liam asked bitterly, stopping his pacing as he looked at the taller boy and Marcus merely laughed with his hands up.

"Don't be like that, I'm here to help." The chimera said smoothly, there was something in his grin that set Theo on edge and he promised himself weakly that he wasn't going to get involved.

"Yeah right, more like here to help yourself." The werewolf retorted, looking around at the empty field and he took a deep calming breath.

"I mean if that's how you feel, maybe I should just help myself...but then who would save your friend."Marcus said threateningly and Liam's head snapped up desperately.

"What do you mean?! If there's a way to save him why not just fucking tell us instead of just being a dick." The werewolf growled and Marcus laughed but there was no humour in it.

"Oh Liam, you think I give a shit what happens to him? It's as you said right? I'm only here to help myself and I'm gonna start by taking out Scott's pack one by one...Starting with you." Marcus grinned and wolfed out, he looked like a werewolf but the colouring on his face made him look more like the werejaguar part of himself.

Liam roared back and they launched at each other, claws scraping and kicking at each other with abandon. Theo closed his eyes when Marcus picked Liam up and threw him into the bars in front of the bleachers.

' _I'm not getting involved_ ' he told himself like a mantra but when he heard the snap of bones and Liam's cry of pain he couldn't hold himself back anymore.

Theo ran forward and grabbed the other chimera's raised arm with his teeth, tugging him away from Liam who was looking up at them in surprise.

"Well well well." Marcus grinned as he swung his arm and threw Theo back, the black wolf tumbling on the ground before flipping back up. "I have to say, I'm surprised you'd show your face around here." Marcus said as he circled the older chimera.

Theo rolled his eyes, trying not to look at Liam's curious gaze otherwise he'd be distracted and he growled at the other chimera.

"Do you know how many people have died because of you? How many had to suffer because you wanted your freedom? Caleb says hi by the way." The teen said sinisterly and Theo's heart skipped but he knew what he was trying to do.

The distinct sound of bones snapping back together distracted him and Liam smirked when their eyes met. Both beta and wolf attacked Marcus together, Liam grabbing Marcus when he could and the black wolf's teeth snapping down to back him up.

Marcus roared, kicking Theo back and he grabbed Liam by the throat but they all jumped when they heard the Alpha roar. The distraction was enough for Liam to dislodge the grip and he and his Alpha fought together, along with the female coyote.

Theo knew they had it handled so he ran, making sure to keep his hearing concentrated on the fight so he could know if everyone got out okay as he headed towards his den to heal; Marcus had kicked him in the ribs and at least two of them were broken.

Around a week later the Alpha's pack had somehow managed to save their friend from ' _The Beast_ ', the Dread Doctors were gone and Theo didn't know how to handle that.

Liam and his two friends were walking around the preserve and once they found an area where the sun was beaming down the chameleon chimera had placed a blanket down. The three boys lay together, the human played some soft music from his phone and they had a picnic basket beside them.

Theo was dragging a deer back to the den with him when he noticed them, the spicy yet sweet scent slightly blurred by the deer's blood and he sighed internally. Rationally he knew the Dread Doctors were gone, the other chimeras...had either fled or died so technically Theo was free to be himself now.

He just wasn't sure who that was anymore, he'd been the wolf for nearly three months now and his crimes against his sister were too great for him to deserve to live a 'normal' life.

Liam's head raised, nose sniffing the air and his eyes met the chimera's curiously.

"Liam what is it?" The human asked worriedly, Theo's grip on the deer tightened and he hurried off as Liam pushed himself to a stand.

"Wait, the Doctors are dead now, it's okay." He called out, cursing slightly in guilt and he turned to his friends to explain.

He knew the doctors were dead now, that still didn't change anything.

Things were quiet for a while then, but then people started going missing. The sheriff's deputies didn't seem to be all that bothered and soon people were being forgotten. Theo could hear the hooves of horses every night, thunder and lightning threatening to bring the rain with them as riders exploded through town.

Liam and his friends had headed into the preserve and were calling out for the chimera. He had been washing himself in the lake, his fur cold and dripping wet. They broke through the trees, eyes looking at him warily as he shook himself and turned away from them.

"Wait, please we need your help!" Liam begged and he stopped as he looked at them curiously. Their hearts were beating faster than usual but that seemed to be more out of desperation than anything else and he tilted his head questioningly.

"Can we talk?" The human asked worriedly as he looked over at Lydia for reassurance. The chameleon chimera wasn't with them he'd noticed which was strange considering he was always by the human's side.

Theo huffed, moving closer to sit in front of them hoping they'd get on with it so he could get back to Tara's bridge as it was getting close to the anniversary of her murder.

"I know you tried to save Corey before so I hope you'll help us do it again." He murmured sadly, Liam leaning into his side comfortingly but he looked at Theo with determined eyes.

"What Mason means is that Corey has been taken by the ghost riders because his powers allowed him to see their world and ours." Lydia informed him, her eyes seemed wild too like Corey wasn't the only person they had lost.

' _Okay?_ ' Theo thought, wondering what they could possibly expect him to do about it; there was only so much information the Dread Doctors allowed him to read when he was their toy so it wasn't like he was an expert.

"They've taken other members of our pack." Liam added worriedly, Theo's eyes met his and he looked at the heavy burden that seemed to be on the teen's shoulders and he sighed internally.

He chuffed with a nod, hoping they would get the message and explain how they expected him to help.

"It would be a lot easier if you shifted back, at least then we could talk." The werewolf murmured softly, the other two couldn't hear him and he shook his head like what he'd just said was stupid.

"We think it's all going down tonight." Lydia said as if nothing happened during their stare down and Theo looked at her again. "Their world and ours are beginning to blend, more and more people are going missing and are seeing the riders." She explained and her eyes seemed haunted. "Some people may die."

Theo's eyes widened then when he realised what she was, she didn't smell human or like any kind of supernatural creature he'd met so he'd shrugged it off and assumed that she was an anomaly. She was so much more, she could sense death and that could only mean that she was a banshee; Theo didn't even know they existed.

"Please, I need him back." The human whispered, he was barely holding himself together and Theo's heart skipped with sadness.

He stood on his back legs, startling them as he raised his nose in the air sniffing this way and that for the chameleon chimera and he caught a faint whiff of it somewhere but he sank back down when he realised that it was coming from Mason.

Theo walked forwards, allowing his nose to try and lead him towards Corey and the others began to follow in confusion. As they neared the town, they spotted a few riders chasing down a man and Theo growled for the others to stay back as he gave chase.

He tried to take out one of the horses legs but it didn't falter once, the man was starting to slow as his lungs were no doubt burning and Theo zipped in between the man's legs; effectively tripping him so he would fall forward onto him. He quickly evaded the horses and ran in the opposite direction, the man's weight made it a little harder for him but he knew he couldn't stop.

The man's frightened grip around his neck was tight and he huffed as he heard the horses whinnying behind him. He couldn't risk turning his head; the man's terrified whimpering was enough to let him know they were quickly catching up to him.

Theo suddenly gasped as the man was being dragged back after the sound of a whip cracked the air, the man's grip on the chimera threw him off balance and suddenly the man was gone in a puff of green smoke. Theo was left tumbling down an incline, he could hear the others running towards him to make sure he was okay and he struggled to get up.

Liam lifted him quickly as the riders seemed very interested in him and they quickly headed towards Lydia's car. He was unceremoniously thrown into the backseat, Liam quickly following behind as Mason and Lydia jumped in the front and she stepped on the gas to get them the hell out of there.

"Now you understand how bad it is?" Liam asked him anxiously and the chimera merely nodded, the beta's scent calming him slightly despite the sound of hooves following the car.

"Mason, call Scott and Malia tell them we'll meet them at the school." Lydia said urgently as she turned down a street to try to lose their pursuers and Theo looked out the back window. He breathed a sigh of relief as they slowed to a stop but tensed when he noticed their attention had been drawn by a woman hurrying into her neighbour's house.

"There's nothing we can do." Liam told him softly when the chimera growled beside him. "Not yet." He added determinedly.

Lydia pulled up outside the sheriff's station, calling someone on her phone quickly and Theo listened in as she breathed out a sigh of relief when a woman picked up. "Mom, where are you?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm with Doctor Deaton, your friend Scott came to get me and he and Malia are on their way to the school to meet with you." Her mother replied quickly.

"What about Jordan?" She asked warily and the hesitant silence she was met with made her close her eyes. "What happened to him?"

"Deaton says he's being controlled, there's nothing we can do to snap him out of it." She murmured knowing her daughter would be upset at the news.

He was snapped out of his eavesdropping when Liam's phone vibrated in his pocket and he checked his phone quickly.

"Scott needs us to buy him some time." Liam told Mason urgently. "You and Lydia should head towards the school, I'll head to the hospital and try to draw them there."

"No way Liam, we can't split up!" Mason said anxiously. "I can't lose you too." He added to his best friend and Theo felt like he was observing something he shouldn't when he noticed the tears rolling down the human's cheek.

"Don't worry, we'll make it through this. I promise." Liam's heart skipped with the lie but his best friend merely smiled weakly at his reassuring smile.

"You can't go by yourself." Lydia whispered softly, already off the phone with her mother and she shook her head.

Theo huffed, moving forward as if to remind them he was here and he would help the clearly suicidal idiot. Liam smiled at him gratefully, turning his head towards the other two.

"See? I won't be alone." Liam told them. "You need to find Corey and Stiles, we don't have a lot of time."

Theo huffed questioningly. He didn't know Stiles was missing too and they looked at him in surprise.

"You know Stiles?" Lydia asked him desperately, he nodded and Lydia smiled in relief.

"How does he remember Stiles when we don't?" Mason asked warily and Theo frowned slightly. Maybe he was far enough away from the town for the wild hunt to influence his memories but he couldn't believe they had forgotten Stiles.

"We don't have time for this, you need to go. I'm gonna take a police car and use the sirens to draw them to the hospital." Liam told them and Mason gave him a look.

"You don't even know how to drive." The human said worriedly and Theo sighed...He did.

Theo growled at the door, pushing lightly so that someone would open it for him and when Liam did with curious eyes the chimera hopped out and shifted.

"Oh my god he's naked!" Mason burst out, covering his eyes and Theo couldn't help but smirk.

"Enjoy the view while you can, I'm driving and then I'm changing back." He snarked as he headed towards one of the many police cars littering the front of the sheriff's station, it was kind of unnerving as there were no heartbeats coming from inside the building and some of the car doors were wide open with keys still inside.

"Liam!" Mason shoved at Liam as the beta was still staring wide-eyed at the chimera but it seemed to snap him out of it as he rushed forward to get into the passenger side of the car Theo had chosen.

"Sure about this? This is pretty much suicide." Theo asked the beta who was studiously looking out the window to avoid looking at him.

"We don't have a choice." He replied firmly.

Theo merely shrugged, he found it a little difficult to drive with his bare feet; especially since he hadn't shifted back to his human form in a long time and he wasn't used to the different way his limbs moved.

"How do I turn the siren on?" He asked the beta and Liam quickly turned back, a blush on his features as he looked around and finally found the button for it. They drove towards the hospital and Theo's breath hitched in surprise as it was the same story there; cars left open and an ambulance abandoned in front of the entrance with no one around.

"Leave them on." Liam said as he got out of the car, Theo thought this whole idea was stupid the more he thought about it and he looked over at the beta.

"You do realise this is gonna bring every rider in town here and we're only two people." He asked cautiously as he could sense the other one was on edge and his own wolf and coyote were at odds with each other as they tried to win his fight or flight response.

"That doesn't matter, you can leave if you want." Liam ground out as turned to look at him with fierce eyes.

"Doesn't matter? What kind of time do you expect to give your Alpha if we can't even take down one of them?" Theo asked incredulously.

"Why do you care? Why not just go?" The werewolf shouted defensively and Theo's eyes narrowed.

"Don't turn this on me. You came to  _me_  for my help, I could have just as easily left your asses behind. You think I have nothing better to do with my time?" He said angrily. "I'm just questioning the plan here, of which there seems to be none and you just expect me to sacrifice myself for your cause?" The chimera laughed humourlessly when the beta growled.

"Look, I get it if you're scared but we're both getting caught. You can do it while you're running but I'm going down fighting." Liam said after a deep breath.

"I'm not scared asshole, I'm just–." Theo cut himself off when he heard the hooves in the distance, he dropped himself to the ground as his bones cracked while he shifted and he growled at Liam to get him to move.

Liam growled as he made a stance to fight but Theo shoved at him to get him moving and they ran through the hospital as they could hear the sound of boots and spurs approaching.

"In here." Liam hissed as they ran into the morgue, Theo huffed at the scent of the dead and they tried to hide themselves the best they could as they heard the riders on each floor looking around for them.

Theo rolled his eyes irritably, of course this idiot would practically get them cornered and he questioned why he felt so drawn to this jerk. His wolf sang at their proximity, he was only angry because they were both going to get hurt and he was powerless to stop it.

They heard the rider approach the door and Liam nodded to him as he stood behind a metal gurney, when the door open he shoved the metal table at the rider and knocked him into the opposite wall. Theo ran out then to take on the other rider as the one they had knocked into the wall had charged Liam back in to the morgue.

He reared up onto his hind legs, swiping down with his claws and scratching the rider's shoulder. His attacks didn't seem to do anything and he felt the Rider's hands surround his neck as he was shoved to the ground. He struggled weakly, unable to break the hold and he turned his head to look at Liam to make sure he was okay but he had his own rider trying to hold him down on a table.

Theo turned back to his own rider, trying to get his fangs close enough to bite down on its arm but the hands tightened on his neck. They immediately released him and the rider disappeared in a puff of green smoke, he turned quickly to see Liam turning his ghost rider's gun to its own neck before it disappeared too.

They looked at each other in relief, walking slowly closer and Theo reached over with his nose, almost touching Liam's side before they noticed the other riders.

Liam immediately growled but Theo couldn't see the point in both of them going down so he hurried over to the elevator, hitting the button with his paw and the doors opened. He ran in front of Liam before he could head towards the riders and he shoved his entire weight into the werewolf causing him to fall inside the elevator.

"What are you doing?" He shouted but he merely looked at him with his back turned, teeth bared in a smile as the doors closed and he could hear the wolf growling.

Theo howled before making his way towards the group of riders, using his fangs and claws to his advantage. The riders were trying to shoot him with their guns so he tried to make sure they could only hit each other before he ran as fast he could away from them. He needed to lure them away, he knew Liam needed to buy his Alpha time but he also didn't want him to get hurt.

Theo flinched when a ghostly bullet hit the wall beside his head and he struggled to get past the other ghost riders. Heart beating frantically in his throat, he skidded into the hallway by the entrance and he heard a whip cracking behind him as he pushed himself forward.

Just as he made it to the door, he felt himself being dragged back as a whip curled around his back paw and he twisted quickly. He chewed frantically at the grip, breaking loose just as he noticed the others catching up and he threw himself out of the hospital.

Horses were braying nearby as he hopped over cars and into the forest. He noticed with a start that there were train tracks leading from the hospital and along the paths that he ran down.

The riders were following him so at least he gave Liam a chance at getting out of there, he considered running back to his den as the coyote part of him was crying out for him to hide and he quietly shut that down as he didn't want to lead them to his home.

Theo wondered idly if the others were at the school and if Scott had had enough time. He could smell the chameleon chimera now and he didn't know what he should do in case he just made things worse.

He couldn't just run forever though, so he decided that fuck it he was going to head towards the school and he trusted his instincts to lead him the way. The riders dispersed behind him when he made it to the school parking lot, suddenly distracted and he allowed himself to sag down under a jeep as he panted in relief.

Theo knew he couldn't stay there forever but he was tired, wondering not for the first time why he was doing all this anyway. When his breathing slowed to his normal rhythm he crawled out from under the blue jeep and he recognised it as Stiles'. The chimera started to make his way towards the school, deciding to head around the building first and when he noticed Liam looking down at something...His stolen heart settled in his chest and he huffed in relief which quickly turned to panic when a rider came out of nowhere and grabbed the beta in a chokehold.

Liam struggled, heartbeat fluttering and Theo ran forward, teeth sinking into the rider's shoulder and claws digging into its back as he dragged it off Liam.

"You made it out!" The werewolf said in a relieved tone as Theo struggled to keep his grip on the rider as he stood on his hind legs. "Need a hand?" He asked and the chimera let out a snort as he threw the ghost rider into the wall and it dropped seemingly unconscious.

Theo tilted his head slightly and Liam grinned softly. "I'm gonna steal a horse to get into the hunt." He told him and the chimera let out a grunt of disbelief. "Look, they took Mason and we don't have time to wait around." He added defensively and Theo nodded, nudging Liam slightly on the leg to tell him to go.

Liam looked at him, mouth opening to say something before he closed it with a nod as he launched off the edge and landed on the horse. Theo watched him go fondly as Liam looked so uncomfortable on the creature as he nudged at it to run and he turned quickly to head inside the school.

The chameleon's scent was strong here so he figured he'd make himself useful to try and find him, he sneaked in through the school's cafeteria sniffing the air cautiously as he tried to make his way around.

"PETER" He could hear the female coyote shouting from somewhere nearby, Lydia saying something to her in response and he could hear the many heartbeats coming from the room. He saw the sign for the library, train tracks already leading through the building and he had a bad feeling of what could happen if the train did come.

"Dad." The coyote murmured reluctantly and Lydia sighed, her eyes found his with relief as he hurried in and he looked around in awe at the vacant stares of the other people in the room.

He moved towards a woman who was sitting on one of the benches, she seemed to be waiting patiently for something and he sniffed at her curiously.

"They can't move." Lydia told him while the coyote was trying to wake her father, Theo tilted his head at her, they didn't seem frozen and their hearts were all calmly beating. "These are all the people who were taken, like I said their world is blending into ours." She added as if she heard his unspoken question.

"Dad, please wake up." The coyote said softly, actually allowing her genuine feelings to be heard and the man in front of her dropped the paper his vacant eyes had been staring at and she looked over at Lydia eagerly.

Lydia walked over to her friend and the man. "It's working." She murmured as the man stood up and the colour seemed to return to his face as he looked at them with a smile.

"Attention all passengers." Theo huffed as the voice sounded familiar in the intercom and he jumped back as the woman in front of him stood up. "The train will be arriving at the station in twelve minutes." He looked over at the trio as they were talking about trying to get the man to lead the people to safety.

The ghost riders arrived then, stopping them in their tracks and the people began to scatter when the man tried to fight them off.

"Malia!" The man called out when the coyote pushed the banshee out of the way and she was hit with the whip. The man ran to try and protect her, guiding her into Lydia's arms as the other people were running in panic and Theo tried to guide them out as safely as possible.

Malia howled when she noticed her father was losing and she ran to stop them whilst Theo stayed with Lydia to make sure no harm could come to her.

"Attention all passengers, the train will be arriving in eight minutes." Theo heard and he knew he needed to find the voice and fast.

"Go." Lydia told him, noticing his eagerness to leave and he nodded at her quickly before taking off through the doors. He narrowly avoided being stepped on by the panicked passengers as they ran around him and the chimera ran through the different waiting rooms.

"That was so hot." He heard the familiar female voice and he headed towards it. Melissa was standing with an unfamiliar man, smiling at him as the green smoke faded and she looked at the wolf when she noticed him.

"Where's Scott?" She asked him worriedly, the man beside her looked at him warily and Theo merely shrugged as he couldn't exactly speak in this form.

"Let's go, we need to find him." The man told her as he guided them out of the room and into another. What was this place? A maze? Theo huffed as he followed them through the different rooms but his head shot up when he smelled  _him_.

 _Liam_.

The other two didn't notice him stop as they hurried through the halls, Theo looked around frantically as he tried to follow his nose and he stopped short when he noticed the three boys. Liam and Mason were carrying the chameleon chimera but the most shocking thing was the many wires and pipes coming in and out of his chest.

"We need to get him to the hospital now." Mason said urgently and Theo quickly made his way over to them, whining slightly when he noticed the slowing heartbeat of the younger chimera.

"How are we gonna get him out of here though, there's no way out." Liam replied, looking over at the black wolf with a relieved smile. "Hey."

Theo huffed at them in greeting, Corey's eyes were rolling in his head and Theo immediately left them as he sniffed out the nurse, ignoring the protests behind him.

He ran in front of the older pair and huffed urgently at Melissa when he found them.

"What is it?" She asked warily, the man subtly trying to usher her behind him protectively and Theo kept motioning for them to follow as best as he could. "You want us to follow you?" Melissa asked and he nodded frantically as he ran, turning his head every so often to make sure they were still behind him.

"We need to get him to my car." Mason was saying to Liam anxiously and the two looked over at them when Melissa let out a gasp.

"Oh god, we need to get him out of here quickly. Deaton won't be able to deal with this, the hospital is the only place we can take him." She told the boys, the man she was with rushing over to help carry the broken chimera and Theo sniffed around for the exit.

He let out a growling huff to get them to follow as he knew that his nose worked better in this form and they helped carry the chameleon chimera behind him. They found themselves back in the library and Theo breathed out a sigh of relief as he knew they were close to the exit, his ears twitched as he tried to focus for the sound of any riders but thankfully there were none.

The train tracks began to fade away as Scott must have had enough time to save the town, they made their way outside and led the injured chimera to Mason's car.

"Get him to the hospital now, I need to grab the herbs from my house and we'll meet you there." Melissa told them urgently, the man was already hurrying off as she backed towards him.

"Liam quick, help me with him." Mason said as he tried to open the car door and keep his boyfriend standing.

"You coming?" Liam asked the older chimera as he helped his friend set Corey down in the car. Theo merely shook his head, there was nothing for him to do now as the trouble seemed to be over and he reluctantly backed towards the forest.

Liam looked at him hesitantly, mouth opening to say something but he startled when Mason beeped his horn and Theo ran.

A few days later, he was relieved to know that the chameleon chimera had survived as he noticed the couple walking hand in hand through town with smiles on their faces. Theo had been out for a run, stretching his legs and his routine consisted of making sure that these people were alive.

He had already checked on Liam who was with Scott, Stiles and Lydia at the sheriff's station. The coyote was having dinner with her dad at a cafe in town and Theo breathed a sigh of relief when he knew they were okay.

Theo had resigned himself to being alone; refusing to believe that there was any kind of normal life he could have.

After all the chimeras he'd failed...Tara, who had done nothing but love and care for him like all big sisters do.

Theo was a monster who didn't deserve to have what other people had, he didn't deserve a love like the chameleon chimera had and he didn't want Liam to know what he truly was. The pull of his wolf was unbearable sometimes as it howled inside him for the beta and he didn't know why.

He didn't know why that scent soothed his stolen heart, why he felt extreme peace when those eyes looked at him even when they were bickering in that hospital and to be brutally honest...Liam  _terrified_  Theo.

He scared him because Liam was the one thing he wanted more than anything in this world and the one thing he wasn't allowed to have. Liam would go looking for him at least once a week in the preserve, sometimes alone or with Mason and Corey. He had to run around to spread his scent in confusing trails just to make sure he couldn't be tracked and he sighed guiltily at the look of defeat on the beta's face.

But life went on, the older members of the pack all left and suddenly that burden lay heavier on the beta's shoulders as he had to protect the town and his friends. Theo had stayed away, he promised himself he wasn't going to torture himself by getting close. He only ran in to back them up during any fights and ran off as soon as the fights were over.

Liam had tried to chase after him a few times but Theo was faster in this form, and more determined, so he always narrowly evaded him.

He was sleeping in his den late one night when he heard the howl, he'd recognise it anywhere and he quickly pushed himself up. It was unusual for Liam to call for him when they were in trouble, this must mean that it was more than he could handle and he howled back as he ran as fast as he could towards the howl.

Theo's heart skipped when he could hear the gunshots and the sounds of frightened shouts coming from the lacrosse field.

"Where the hell is he?!" Mason shouted, hitting a hunter with a bat.

"I don't know, he howled to let us know he was on his way." Liam growled back as he was fighting off his own.

"Well we need more than just us, Nolan and Alex are doing good but they're not used to this." Corey added as he knocked a female hunter away from his boyfriend.

"He'll be here." The werewolf said determinedly, he was knocked back into Mason who grabbed for him quickly and the hunter aimed his gun at them.

"Duck." Corey said when their eyes met, he grabbed Mason's hand who in turn gripped Liam's shoulder and they all hit the dirt as he leapt over them with a growl and bit into the man's arm. The hunter shouted out in pain as he threw Theo off but the older chimera didn't allow himself to stop as he bit him again on the shoulder to stop him from aiming at the three teens.

More hunters came out of the woodworks and that caused the teens to snap out of their reverie as they tried to protect their newest members who were trying to guide the other players out of there safely.

Liam howled, charging for a man trying to grab Mason and Corey knocked his own assailant down on his ass. Theo launched onto a woman who had been aiming for Alex and she passed out from the force of her head hitting the ground.

Theo froze when he heard the pained howl, electricity blaring in the air and Liam had hit the ground. His eyes narrowed as he growled at the man who was digging his stun baton into the panting werewolf and he ran forward, teeth sinking into his ankle as he tugged the man roughly until the cracking of bones breaking was loud to his ears and the man screamed in pain.

Liam stood then, trying to assess the situation as he looked over at his friends but he didn't see the gun aimed for him and Theo didn't think as he reared up onto his hind legs and shoved him out of the way. The chimera howled as the burning pain blazed on his shoulder, the bullet digging itself snugly into his flesh and he nearly collapsed with it. Liam had already taken the man out in his rage but Theo knew he couldn't afford to be hurt right now if they all wanted to get out of this alive.

He panted heavily, trying to settle into the feeling as he headed towards a woman who had just pistol whipped Nolan and he threw his weight into her which sent her tumbling back and Alex growled beside them, preparing to fight her.

Theo could feel himself getting weaker, he didn't know how much longer they could keep this up but he knew that he just had to keep going; his life wasn't worth much but he could at least make sure this group survived.

Corey was covering Mason with his body, both turning invisible just a little too late and Theo wasn't close enough to take out the hunter who had just taken aim at them. The gunshot echoed loudly, a pained whine left the older chimera as he'd leapt in front of it and another burning flame of pain went through his side.

Theo couldn't do anymore, he collapsed but just as all seemed lost the sheriff and his deputies arrived to fight them off. Arresting the hunters who were already knocked down and hunting down the ones who tried to evade capture.

Theo raised his head, eyes searching for the beta wolf first and with relief he noticed him checking over his two best friends and their newer members. They all looked roughed up, Nolan had broken his arm and Alex was holding him up, Corey and Mason were a little worse for wear but relatively unharmed and Liam? Liam had tears in his shirt, a little smattering of blood here and there but nothing looked life threatening.

Theo pushed himself up, legs shaking slightly and he limped away in the direction of his den.

"Where are you going?" Liam asked, this time a little annoyed at this game that they were playing and Theo pushed himself to a jog. It hurt, way more than he thought it would and Liam sighed behind him as he followed. "You're gonna hurt yourself." He shouted irritably.

Theo kept going, his coyote was howling for him to retreat to his den; he needed to lick his wounds in a safe space and he was balancing okay on the flat ground of the pitch. It was only when he reached the uneven ground of the surrounding forest that he knew he'd fucked up as his injured shoulder gave out and with a shocked yelp he slipped.

Pained whines left him as he bounced on his injured side and tumbled down the incline, a loud snap could be heard as his leg broke before he finally landed and his vision blurred when his head landed  _hard_  on a flat rock at the bottom.

"Shit, shit." Liam murmured as he hurried towards him anxiously, the chimera tried to raise his head to look at him but his strength gave out quickly as it promptly went back down and Liam fell to his knees beside him.

"Why do you always have to run away? You're gonna get yourself killed." He said in a panic as he reached over to stroke his head with a shaky hand and Theo settled into the feeling. He stared up at Liam weakly, the teen was looking at him worriedly and the scent of guilt invaded his senses.

Liam scooped him into his arms as gently as he could, the sound of his heartbeat close to his ear was soothing and the werewolf held him as close to his chest as possible without hurting him. Theo buried his face in Liam's neck when Corey and Mason gasped at his appearance, hurrying over to get a look at him.

"What the hell happened?" Corey asked in a disapproving tone.

"He fell down the hill." Liam said guiltily, he manoeuvred his hand so it was touching Theo's back and suddenly the burning sensation of pain all over his body lessened. He looked up at Liam again, eyes blinking sluggishly and the last thing he saw was the reassuring almost shy smile on Liam's lips.

Theo awoke to the smell of antiseptic and the chemosignals of fear and pain. He opened his eyes with difficulty, head turning to the side and he noticed the table with various knives and medical equipment. He looked down, realising with a start that he had shifted back in his sleep, there were bandages on his shoulder, his side and his ankle had been wrapped, someone must have put a pair of shorts on him too.

He couldn't help but feel anxious in the unfamiliar surroundings as he knew he wasn't in the hospital, the scents of different animals were strong here and he was lying alone on a metal table with a needle in his hand which led to a drip beside him.

The chimera slowly sat up, reaching up to hold his head as he was feeling dizzy and his fingers brushed against the bandage that was must have been placed on his head. His hearing wasn't working as strong as it usually did, setting him on edge as he couldn't see anyone in the area or hear any heartbeats.

He quickly pulled the needle from his hand and tried to shift but he let out a wounded growl as he couldn't quite get the wolf to come forward and the effort of trying had caused him immense pain. Theo tumbled backwards when he heard the footsteps hurrying towards the room, the smacking of his skin against the tiled floor reverberated in the room and he backed himself into the corner with a howl.

"Hey! It's okay." Liam shouted as he ran closer but the coyote side of him was alert in self-defence as he crouched on all fours and pressed himself against the wall.

"What have you done to me?" He growled, eyes filled with betrayal as this place was setting him on edge since it brought him nothing but bad memories of the Dread Doctors.

"Nothing I swear." Liam replied urgently, he knelt down in front of the half-shifted chimera with his hands raised in surrender. "You got hurt, I brought you here to get help. This is where people like us can get that." He murmured, Theo relaxed only slightly when his heart remained calm but he was still in self-preservation mode.

"Why can't I shift?" He asked suspiciously.

"You were hit with wolvesbane bullets, Corey told us that chimeras are immune to mountain ash and certain amounts of wolvesbane but you can still be affected if there's enough in your system. Deaton said it slowed down your healing factor...You'll still be able to shift just not for a while." He explained softly.

Theo said nothing, he shifted back to human and only his eyes were still affected as he still hadn't fully calmed down. Liam's shoulders became less tense in relief, he licked his lips nervously which Theo couldn't help but track with his eyes and he took a deep breath.

"What's your name?" Liam whispered like he was afraid if he spoke any louder he would break this hesitant trust the chimera was showing him. Theo took in the werewolf's face; the barely hidden desperation in his eyes as if just knowing this little bit of information about him could mean the world...This is why Liam terrified him, he made Theo want to share everything with him and he wasn't ready for that yet.

This he could do though.

"Theo." He answered after a beat, eyes hesitantly meeting his again and Liam smiled lightly.

"Theo." The beta said the word as if trying it out and letting it roll around his tongue. "Hey Theo, I'm Liam." He murmured and Theo rolled his eyes fondly, feeling his eyes going back to normal as his coyote settled into the scent of safety with the werewolf.

"Dork." Theo replied with a huff.

"Maybe." Liam said with an amused smirk, face turning into a frown when he noticed the chimera shaking subtly with the effort of holding himself up as he was still weak from his injuries. "Do you trust me?" He asked Theo and the chimera looked at him warily, scared of where the seemingly out of nowhere question was leading and he nodded lightly.

Liam held his hand out, giving Theo enough space to refuse it but he kept it there and waited for the chimera to reach out. After a pregnant pause, Liam smiled at him reassuringly and Theo slowly reached out, sliding his hand into the beta's.

The instant their hands met, Theo almost jolted when he noticed the black veins slithering up Liam's arm and he felt his pain being sucked away. He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and his previously tense posture sagged as he settled down into a more comfortable position.

"I take it you didn't know we could do this?" Voice still soft, Liam's smile was affectionate when Theo looked up at him in awe.

"Me too?" He asked curiously and the wolf nodded, the veins soon stopped travelling up his arm and there was a lightness in the air between them that Theo felt giddy to be in.

To connect with someone like this...It was something he'd always dreamed of and he knew reality would rear its ugly head eventually but he couldn't bring himself to care right now.

The moment shattered when the footsteps approached and Theo was immediately on the defensive again. Coyote side alert and howling, his eyes burned and his fangs grew as he growled but that was all he could manage in his exhausted state as Mason, Corey and a man Theo didn't recognise entered the room.

"It's okay Theo." Liam told him soothingly, his eyes snapped to the wolf's trying to gauge whether this was some sort of trap and if they were truly trying to help him. "This is Deaton, he's a vet but he helps all of us when we get hurt."

"He 'helps' us? Did you put something in the IV to stop me from shifting?" Theo accused, too tired to move but Deaton didn't even seem to react, he had a polite smile on his face but he gave the impression that he had many secrets behind those smiles.

"The IV merely consists of antibiotics and some healing herbs. When you shifted back to human form, the bullets in your shoulder and side had dug in too deep and the wolvesbane was in your bloodstream so I needed to flush it out." Deaton explained calmly and Theo knew the doctor wasn't lying as his heart hadn't skipped once.

Theo nodded once, accepting the man's answer and he took a deep breath to reel back the wolf. "Thank you." He mumbled, avoiding everyone's gaze as he tried to focus on the safe feeling Liam's scent was creating around him.

Liam offered his hand out again, this time to help him stand and he hesitantly took it as he was pulled to feet. Liam pulled his arm over his shoulder to help him move closer to the table and he had to basically hop as his ankle was still broken and any weight placed on it hurt.

"Hey Theo, we've finally met." Corey murmured with bright eyes, Mason leaning into his boyfriend's side as they smiled to him gratefully.

"You guys realise that it's still me when I'm the wolf right? Like I know your names, I can understand when you talk to me I just can't talk back." Theo replied with a raised brow and they all looked slightly sheepish.

"We know, it's just that we finally get to have a conversation with you instead of you know, you coming in and saving our asses and then running off to wherever you go." Mason explained lightly and Theo snorted.

"Yeah I'm a real conversationalist." He said sarcastically.

' _This is nice_.' He thought, it felt good to finally talk to people and  _connect_. He didn't deserve it, to feel this  _safe_  and his wolf was practically rolling around with joy at being this close to the werewolf beside him.

"Do you have anyone you can stay with tonight?" Deaton interrupted and Theo shook his head warily. "I'd prefer if you did, just in case the wolvesbane isn't completely out of your system. As you are a chimera, your healing is slower than that of a normal werewolf and the wolvesbane slows that down even more." Theo absorbed the information with a shrug, unless the robin that seemed to hang out at his den can fly to Deaton with a message if he was hurt there was nothing he could do about it.

"He can stay with me, my parents wouldn't mind." Liam suggested eagerly, Theo's heart skipped in response and he knew this had gone far enough.

"I'll pass." He said matter-of-factly, pulling away from Liam quickly and backing up slightly as he put his hand on the table to support himself.

"Why?" The beta asked with a confused frown.

"I can take care of myself." Theo told him stubbornly.

"Theo, you can't be on your own." Mason interjected, trying to calm the situation as he could tell Liam was getting irritated with the older chimera's flippancy.

Theo sighed. "Look, I appreciate that you guys saved me. I do but you don't even know me." He said firmly.

"Of course we do, you've been saving our asses this whole time." Liam replied and this was why he didn't want to get too close...because now he was going to have to tell them just how little they knew him.

His stolen heart began to beat faster in his chest as he closed his eyes, preparing himself to close himself off and he opened them determinedly with a humourless laugh. Theo narrowed his eyes at Liam, the beta was looking at him with such worry that it made him sick to his stomach that he didn't even know what he'd been inviting into his house.

"Do you like listening to my heartbeat?" He asked with a raised brow.

"What?" Liam asked with a confused frown.

"Do you?" Theo pressed harshly and the werewolf merely nodded warily. "Well guess what?"

This was it. He was going to tell them and then they would want nothing to do with him...It was for the best.

"What is it Theo?" The werewolf murmured reluctantly as Theo had paused for too long and the older chimera swallowed nervously but he knew it had to be done.

"It's not even mine." He told them angrily, Liam said nothing as if he was waiting for Theo to finish his sentence and he placed his weight on his ankle which was healing nicely as only a dull throb shot up his leg. He turned quickly to Corey who backed up slightly when their eyes met. "How long did the Doctors have you?"

"What? Uh, I'm not sure? Maybe a month?" The chameleon chimera answered nervously and Theo let out a laugh of disbelief.

"A month? Try literal  _years_." Theo ground out. "You all think you know me but you have no idea what I am, the things I've done and you wanna invite me into your house so freely?" He said menacingly.

"Theo, we don't care what you've done." Liam tried but Theo glared at him.

"I killed my sister when I was eight years old. Stole her heart and now it's beating in my chest, all so they could turn me into  _this_." He spat out, feeling a sick sense of satisfaction when he saw their shocked expressions reflected back at him. "When they finally succeeded at creating the full-shift they tried to create this big plan using me to lure more and more  _kids_  to their lab. Would have too if I didn't get out when I did." It felt slightly liberating being able to tell someone what he'd done, even if it was for the last time.

Liam, Mason and Corey were dutifully silent, none of them knew what to say and Theo smirked with a confidence he didn't feel.

"That's what I thought." He said quietly, turning to walk out the door. Just as his hand had turned the doorknob, he chanced a look back at Liam who had his head turned away with a tear going down his cheek and Theo bit his lip sadly before turning quickly and leaving. He limped into the woods, trying to convince himself it was for the best but he felt hollow inside and he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes.

He used the trees to hold himself up as he followed his own confusing scent to get back to his den, Liam deserved better...They all did. Better than the monster that Theo truly was, it was purely hero worship that had them feeling that way about him and now they knew what he'd done.

Theo's crimes guaranteed that he was irredeemable, saving people was a penance and he could never pay the toll. No amount of bullets taken, lives saved could absolve him of that and he knew it. The tears flowed freely down his cheeks, he stumbled with the weight of the guilt and his wolf whined in protest as it cried for its mate.

A sob escaped him as he pushed himself forward, he was getting close to his den and he knew that this was where he belonged. He deserved to be alone, he didn't deserve to be alive when so many others had died because he'd needed his freedom, and he was never truly free anyway.

Tara visited him at night; she invaded his dreams as she took her heart back. Sometimes she spoke to him, demanding to know why he had killed her, why he got to live when she had to die. He really was the lowest of the low, his own parents hadn't bothered looking for him when the Dread Doctors had taken him and why would they?

Theo had committed the ultimate sin.

He wiped at his eyes viciously, breaths hitching from crying as he collapsed to his knees in front of his den and he crawled inside the hollowed out tree. It was oddly fitting.

He sighed when it began to rain, he really wanted to shift to keep himself warm but he knew that he had to heal up first so he pushed himself against the wall of his den and curled up into a ball and fell into a restless sleep.

Theo woke up the next morning but didn't move, he merely lay on his back as he stared absently in front of him and he let out a defeated sigh. He was hungry and would need to go out to hunt soon but his sister's heart felt heavy in his chest.

He didn't quite understand why he felt so drawn to the beta but he knew that his wolf had chosen Liam, that's what made this so much harder because he had a feeling that Liam was drawn to him too and he was terrified of what it would be like to give in.

That's why he destroyed any chance they had, he'd successfully scared Liam away so maybe now the beta would see sense and run in the opposite direction of him. Why should he get to have what most in the world could only dream of when his sister had that chance ripped from her by his own hand?

Theo shook his head from his miserable thoughts as he pushed himself to his hands and knees, he pulled the wolf forward and felt his bones shifting, fur growing and he breathed out a huff of relief as he settled into the familiar feeling.

The wolf left his den, sniffing the air for a deer; hell he'd take a decent-sized crow right about now. He realised belatedly that his tail was stuck in the shorts he was still wearing and with an irritated huff he shimmied and shook himself until they slipped off.

After his hunt, he only managed to catch a rabbit which was a feat in and of itself since those things were fast but he was hungry so that made him faster. He headed back to his den with the rabbit still in his mouth, ducking low when he heard twigs breaking in the distance and he crept forward.

His eyes widened when he saw a sheriff's deputy poking at the shorts he'd abandoned outside his den and he couldn't help but think that maybe they had called the police after his confession. It's not like he didn't deserve that but he felt the sting of betrayal anyway and he backed away slowly.

When his back paw broke its own twig, he hissed internally as the deputy turned quickly and their eyes met. Theo tried not to look suspicious, it's not like the deputy would know he wasn't really a wolf and he tried to walk off nonchalantly.

"Theo, right?" The man asked softly and Theo froze mid-trot. He dropped the rabbit and took off. "Wait, I'm not here to hurt you." He tried but the chimera refused to listen, he just kept going and he cursed when he realised that he'd need to get himself a new den now that he'd been found.

He found himself at Tara's bridge before long and he collapsed down on the middle of it with an upset whimper. He looked out at the water, picturing her face that night and he could almost see her staring up at him from the water.

Theo startled when he felt the hand stroking over his head, his head jerking over to look at the owner of said hand and Liam was sitting beside him with a determined face. When Theo made to move away, Liam's hand tightened on the back of his neck slightly but it was still gentle enough if he really wanted to break away and in all honestly, he  _really_  didn't.

"You regret it, don't you?" Liam murmured after a deep breath, Theo looked into his eyes for a few moments, wondering why he was here, why was he still pushing even after his confessions the night before. He turned his gaze to the water and nodded stiffly.

The beta nodded in response but didn't say anything for a while, his heartbeat was slightly elevated as he was nervous and his hand steadily stroked the chimera's fur which sent a shiver down his spine.

"I don't know why you did it, I don't think there is a reason that could ever justify it and I know you probably don't want to hear this but it isn't for me to try and justify. It's fucked up." Liam said carefully, trying to figure out a way to put his jumbled thoughts into words.

Theo laid his head down on his paws, he couldn't help but relax into the hand steadily petting him in broad strokes from his head to his back and he exhaled shakily.

"The thing is Theo..." The beta started, not really sure how to explain and Theo side-eyed him as he waited for him to spit it out. Say that he wanted nothing to with him, ask him to leave Beacon Hills or buying that deputy time to come and arrest him.

"I feel drawn to you." Liam murmured softly and Theo raised his head slightly to look up at him. "My wolf feels restless when you're not around and yet its quiet when we're together. I know that might seem stupid but it's true." He explained, hand stilling on his back as he met his eyes with a sigh.

"Theo, you did a horrible thing." He said and Theo whined slightly.  _He already knew that thanks_. "But you're not that person anymore are you?" The chimera's eyes widened, he couldn't believe what Liam was saying and he tried to push himself up to run from that gentle stare but Liam pulled the chimera into his arms.

"You don't have to run anymore, you've suffered enough, you've done enough to earn a little redemption Theo." Liam said quickly, hugging the chimera close and burying his face into his furred neck. Theo gave a half-hearted struggle, he wanted nothing more than for someone to tell him it was enough, that maybe he'd earned a little peace but he wasn't ready.

He slumped into Liam's grip, his emotions getting the better of him as his breath hitched and he found his control slipping. The fur retracted back into his skin, his bones reshaping back to human and he buried his face into the beta's neck as he couldn't help but let out the years of pain.

Liam's arms tightened around him, one warm hand stroking his naked back comfortingly and he hushed him softly when the sobs were growing. Theo had never in his life shown anyone this kind of vulnerability before, just being in the vicinity of this boy was destroying his barriers one by one and he took in a shaky breath as he tried to calm himself.

"Do you feel better?" Liam asked softly and Theo nodded jerkily in response against the beta's shoulder. "That's good."

"You shouldn't be here." Theo whispered hoarsely, pulling back slightly to look at Liam and the werewolf merely rolled his eyes.

"Neither should you." He told him. "You can't live here forever, that's not a life." Liam added worriedly and Theo gave a defeated sigh knowing that the werewolf was right.

"I know." Theo mumbled, the chimera's eyes lit up and a growl left his throat when he noticed the deputy's approach.

"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you." The man said softly, he held out the shorts with one hand and in his other was his rabbit that he'd abandoned.

"Theo, this is my friend Jordan Parrish; he's in the pack." Liam told him reassuringly, squeezing his arms around his waist in a comforting gesture and Theo looked between them suspiciously. He subtly sniffed and picked up a hint of canine mixed with smoke.

"I'm a hellhound if that helps." Parrish said with a helpless shrug.

Theo's eyes widened at that, he remembered the fresco that the Dread Doctors had back at their lab and he couldn't help but think about the fear they had about a hellhound ruining their plans. He cautiously raised his hand out to accept the shorts Jordan held out, he had to press against Liam's chest as the werewolf wasn't letting him go and he nodded gratefully at the answering smile.

"You're gonna stay with me okay? My mom already said yes." Liam murmured and the chimera looked at him hesitantly.

"You sure about this?" He asked warily and the beta nodded with a serious expression.

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't." Liam replied honestly which was fair enough. Theo backed away, Liam reluctantly letting him go and he stood, pulling on his shorts while the werewolf looked away with a blush.

"I'll give you guys a lift." Parrish said kindly.

"Thanks for helping me find him Jordan." The beta told the deputy and Parrish shrugged with a small smile.

"Anytime." He replied and Theo eyed the rabbit in his hand.

"Are you gonna eat that or?" Theo asked with a small smirk and the hellhound looked sheepish as he offered it out again.

"Were you gonna eat that raw?" Liam asked the chimera incredulously and he couldn't help but roll his eyes fondly.

"No I cook all my meals in my very own wolf oven." He replied sarcastically, the beta glared at the jab and reached over to pluck the rabbit from his hand and threw it away faster than Theo could stop him. "Hey!"

"You are NOT eating that." The werewolf said resolutely and Theo let out a sigh as his stomach grumbled in protest.

"Why not? I haven't had rabbit in ages." He asked irritably, Liam's face screwed up and they bickered on the way to Parrish's car.

"It's not good to eat raw meat, everyone knows that. How you've managed to survive this long is a miracle." Liam groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Liam, what do you think I've been eating since I've been out here?" The chimera asked him with a raised brow.

"I dunno but at the very least you could have made a campfire and cooked them."The werewolf replied hotly and Theo snickered in response.

"Who has time for that?"He retorted as he got into the backseat of Parrish's car, Liam sat in the back with him and then they were off. Theo still felt nervous at the prospect of leaving his den behind, he had gotten used to his life in the preserve and now he was going to be totally out of his comfort zone.

Parrish pulled up outside Liam's house, Theo's nose was working overtime with his anxiety as the coyote part of him protested and he felt himself relax when Liam squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Thanks again Jordan." Liam told the deputy when he opened the door, gesturing for Theo to follow and Parrish smiled kindly.

"No problem, let me know if you need anything okay? Bye guys." He replied, the chimera couldn't manage anything more than a half-hearted wave and he felt exposed in just his borrowed shorts as he followed Liam into his house.

"Mom, we're back." Liam called when he opened the door.

"I'm in the living room." Came a woman's voice and the beta slid his hand into Theo's again when his heartbeat had elevated, pulling him with him.

"Hey mom, this is Theo." Liam's mother looked over at them curiously, her eyes scanned Theo's attire with a concerned frown and he couldn't help but try and make himself look as small as possible. The only thing he was grateful for was that she didn't comment, she just seemed to have an unspoken conversation with Liam before she stood up to make her way closer.

Theo reeled back the defensive coyote as he stood his ground when she approached, he took an instinctive step back when her hand raised but she wasn't deterred as the hand stroked his cheek and turned his head towards her.

"Hi Theo, you don't need to worry anymore." She spoke in a soft voice, he looked at her curiously as he wasn't too sure what to do and Liam's hand squeezed his as he tried to keep him calm. "My name is Jenna since my son was too lazy to finish the introductions." She added with a joking tone and gave her son a mocking glare.

"Sorry." Liam replied sheepishly, a smile tugged on Theo's lips as he looked at them and his shoulders lost some of the tension that was there.

"Now." Jenna began, smirk fading into something gentler as she looked back at Theo. "I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in with Liam tonight as your room isn't ready yet but it should be by tomorrow as I thankfully have the night off work. Anyone hungry?" She explained apologetically but finished with a little clap.

"Starving." Liam said, heart skipping with the lie and Theo couldn't help but turn his head to Liam in confusion.

"Great, I'm ordering pizza tonight for us. Theo what's your favourite type of pizza?" Jenna asked with a fond grin.

Theo licked his lips nervously as he didn't know how to answer, the last time he had pizza was when he was around seven or so and he didn't quite remember. So he merely shrugged his shoulders and answered with a quiet "anything."

"Anything it is." She said lightly after a short look between her and her son. "Both of you can go ahead upstairs and I'll bring it up when the grub is here."

"Thanks mom." Liam said gratefully, Theo nodded shyly and mumbled his own thanks before he followed the gentle tug upstairs.

"Do you want a shower?" The beta asked carefully, slipping his hand out of Theo's as he moved towards his drawers to get some clothes for the chimera and Theo nodded gratefully. "Here, I'm not sure if these will fit but they'll do until we can get you some in town. If you need anything, just shout and I'll be right in okay?" Liam said quickly as he handed over a towel and the clothes before gesturing to his adjoining bathroom.

"Thank you." Theo said meaningfully, the werewolf merely shrugged with a soft smile and squeezed his hand again before letting him go and Theo made his way into the bathroom. It felt strange to be inside a house again, the concept of showering with hot water was far from what he was used to but he was grateful for the chance.

He turned on the water, pulling off his shorts after he set the clothes and towel on the sink and got in. The water was lukewarm at first but after a second it was almost too hot but he made himself get used to the feeling. The tension in his muscles began to lessen, he didn't know how much he'd needed this until he had it as it was better than just wetting his fur in the lake and he opened the shower gel that smelled the most like Liam.

Theo couldn't help it, he wanted to bathe in that scent and his wolf was so content to be here around its chosen. His coyote side was more into self-preservation but it was drawn to Liam too as the werewolf made him feel safe, he didn't know why but he was starting to as he got to spend more time with the beta.

After scrubbing himself a few times to make sure the layers of grime and dirt were off of him, he turned the water off and stepped out as he reached for his towel. Theo dried himself off before he pulled on the sweatpants that were a little too short at the ankles and the t-shirt was tight at the shoulders.

He took a deep breath, bunching the shorts and his towel in his hands as he looked around for the hamper and threw them in. Liam was sitting on the bed, he had his console on and had been looking around for something to watch but he promptly dropped his controller when he noticed Theo.

"Everything okay?" The beta asked worriedly, a small smile appeared on his face after he had sniffed the air and he moved out of the way when Theo moved closer to join him on the bed.

"Yeah, I used some of your shower gel if that's okay." Theo murmured, looking up when Liam let out a carefree snort.

"Of course it is." He replied fondly. "You wanna watch a movie?" Liam gestured towards his TV, the word Netflix was at the top right of the screen and there were a lot of pictures of different films that they could watch and Liam lifted his controller as he looked at Theo closely.

"Sure." Theo shrugged awkwardly, Liam searched around for a movie and when he seemingly found one he liked, he selected it before settling back onto the bed. The chimera stayed where he was, sitting stiffly as he wasn't sure what to do with himself until Liam reached over to stroke his back softly and he turned his head to look back at him.

"It's okay, you can lie down you know?" He murmured and the chimera smiled hesitantly before settling back beside him. He turned his eyes back to the TV but he couldn't pay attention as his brain was still running overtime on what he was supposed to do now and they startled when there was a knock on the bedroom door and Jenna came in holding some boxes.

"Okay guys, pizza's here." Jenna said cheerfully, Theo's stomach growled when the scent of food hit him, he smiled gratefully to her when she handed him his box and she set a bottle of soda and two glasses down beside them as well. "Anything else you need just call." Liam's mom said but her eyes were directed at Theo and he shook his head.

"Thanks mom." Liam replied and Theo mumbled his own "thank you" as well, Jenna nodded before heading back downstairs and Theo opened the box. Liam waited until Theo lifted a slice and took a bite, eyes widening at the taste before turning to eat his own with a fond grin.

Theo had never realised how much he missed proper food until that slice of pizza lit up his taste buds, he loved deer and he considered bringing one back to pay Liam's mom back for this. When their bellies were full, they settled back to watch rest of the film and Theo found himself feeling content.

After a second movie auto-played, he looked over and noticed that Liam had fallen asleep. He was curled on his side facing Theo, they weren't touching but the beta was close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating off of him and the chimera sighed softly.

He was no longer interested in the film, preferring to turn to his side to look at Liam for a while and he tried to fall asleep. Not used to the comfort, and severely missing his den, he struggled to get over the threshold and he eased himself out of bed. It was late, though he didn't know what time it was and he quietly moved towards the window.

He opened it slightly, sitting down on the ledge and he breathed in the fresh air gratefully. He laid his head against the glass, trying to get his brain to switch off as he closed his eyes and he settled into the light breeze that was creating goosebumps on his skin.

Theo drifted in and out for a while, it could have been five minutes but it felt like hours before he started at the shout. He scanned the area quickly, nose working overtime as he tried to figure out what was going on and he noticed that a young man was running. His heartbeat was fast but it was mostly just from running, he kept looking behind him like he was afraid and Theo could vaguely smell the familiar mixture.

 _A chimera_.

There were more survivors then...but this one in particular looked scared, he was even shouting for help as he ran down the street and Theo couldn't just let it go. He looked at Liam hesitantly, wondering if he should wake him but he shook his head as the beta looked like he hadn't slept much the night before and Theo opened the window wider.

Pulling off his clothes, he shifted and took a few steps back before taking a running leap out the window and landing lightly on his paws. He chased the man worriedly, keeping his senses alert for any pursuers but he couldn't see anything either and the man kept going. Theo couldn't smell fear but the man looked terrified, heartbeat elevated from the exercise and he was looking around anxiously.

He felt uneasy as he ran after the man, they ended up in the woods and the man eventually stopped in front of the surrounding trees as he panted heavily. Theo huffed at him to let him know he was there if he needed help and the man turned with a smirk.

"You never should have left me Theo." He heard a familiar voice say and his head snapped in the direction of the sound. Caleb was being helped into view by two other people, his skin had a sickly green hue and he couldn't help but feel guilty at the sight. "This is your fault you know? If you hadn't abandoned me that day, the Dread Doctors would never have been able to do this to me but no you were a coward." Caleb spat bitterly, the other chimeras glared at him and they all looked like they had some piece of them shifted into whatever supernatural creature they had.

It made them look almost like patchwork, the unsuccessful 'failures' that the Dread Doctors would have discarded as they had no use for them. Theo took an instinctive step back, he didn't know what else to do and he knew that they were most likely not going to let him get away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Caleb asked with narrowed eyes, two figures were approaching from behind and Theo took his chance and ran. His heart thundered in his chest as Caleb's echoing growl of "I want him alive" sounded behind him, he pushed himself as fast as he could and he could hear the various growls and screeches from the other chimeras.

He really regretted not waking Liam now but it was too late for that as he was chased back to the town, one good thing was that he was faster than them and he used that to his advantage as he ran back to the residential area where Liam's house was. He barked loudly but nothing stirred, he leapt on a car which set the alarm off and he vaguely heard Liam falling out of bed.

"Shit." He heard the beta swear, probably after he saw the clothes that the chimera had left behind and he ran towards the window. Their eyes met as Theo tried to signal that he needed help before he was tackled off the car with a growl, he struggled against the teen but more of them surrounded him and he was powerless against the chains they were wrapping around him.

" _Shit_." Liam said again, he was thundering down the stairs of his house as Theo was being dragged back to a van that had just pulled up and he growled, eyes desperately meeting the shifted werewolf who was trying to catch up. Theo was thrown into the back of the van, Liam howling as he took out two chimeras who tried to stop him and the van doors were slammed shut, blocking his view.

More chains were wrapped around his front paws, keeping them trapped together as he struggled but he was kicked in the stomach and he curled up with a growling cough. He could hear Liam growling and fighting but suddenly the van was driving off and he was chasing for a bit before he slowed with a frustrated howl.

Theo winced internally when he noticed Caleb grinning at him, he looked almost drunk or at least not all there since the last time they had seen each other and he stubbornly wouldn't make a sound when he was kicked in the face.

"I thought you were all about helping chimeras now." The other chimera said venomously. "We need your help and it's not fair that you would try to run away like that especially when you  _owe_  me." Caleb hissed, leaning down to meet Theo's eyes and he punched him in the face. Theo could do no more than just take it, they had chained his legs in front of him and wrapped the chains around the rest of his body, trapping his back legs to his sides.

Theo slumped into his bonds, surrendering to the fate that he probably deserved and he let out a huffing sigh. He slammed into the wall of the van when they took a sharp turn and no one stopped him from rolling, he just wished they could get to wherever they were going so he could get this over with.

From the look of satisfaction on Caleb's face it wasn't too far and unfortunately for Theo, he seemed to have plans for him that would be drawn out. The van slowed to a stop, two chimeras helped Caleb out before a man approached and dragged Theo by the chains on his front legs, he hissed as he was dragged carelessly along the ground.

"It's oddly fitting isn't it?" Caleb asked with a menacing laugh, the wolf looked around warily and he recognised the Dread Doctors lab. His heart fell as he could still smell the blood, the chemosignals of pain and anguish and he wished desperately that he could get the hell out of there.

He was lifted and dumped carelessly on a rusted table, they fastened the chains to it so he couldn't escape and his heartbeat picked up as the coyote part of him began to freak out. A girl started preparing the instruments they would need for whatever they were going to do with him and Caleb was guided to a chair in front of Theo so they could look at each other.

He let out a growling yelp as a patch of his fur was ripped from his back, he turned his head to glare at the man who had put the fur into a plastic cup and he smirked back at him. The girl came over with a needle and jabbed it into his arm as she drew out a vial of blood and carelessly took it out when she was done.

"Now, we need you to shift back." Caleb ordered, face twisting in a snarl when Theo merely blinked back at him defiantly. "You could just cooperate or we'll have to take the necessary measures." He said flippantly but Theo wouldn't budge, deciding that if he was going to go down, he'd go down fighting.

He howled when the electricity burned through his system, every nerve in his body was alight and the pain it caused was excruciating. It stopped suddenly and he panted heavily, still stubbornly holding onto his wolf and he had his teeth bared in a grin at the frustrated look on Caleb's face.

"Again." Caleb growled and the fire travelling through his body started again. Echoing howls of pain bounced off the walls as the fur receded and grew from his skin and he gritted his teeth through the effort to not give in.

Theo knew that if he allowed them to take what they wanted from him, they would kill him and they couldn't do that as long as they needed him. He shivered from the pain when the electricity was shut off, his exhaustion was beginning to kick in and he tried to disassociate by thinking about Liam.

Liam's scent which always seemed to fill him with calm, his smile and the eager look on his face when he wanted to know more about Theo. A sharp punch to his furred cheek promptly threw that idea out as Caleb growled bitterly, he felt another on the other cheek and his head rolled to the side in pain.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be." He hissed and the electricity was back, this time it was stronger and as much as he tried he couldn't keep the wolf out. With a growled scream, the fur disappeared, his bones shifted and he was even more uncomfortable at the way he was fastened with the chains. His fangs and claws were still out, the girl hurried over to stick another needle into his arm and drew out more blood.

"You haven't changed at all have you?" Caleb laughed, Theo let out a shout of pain as a patch of skin from his back was cut off and he could already feel his healing taking affect but it was so slow due to the pain he'd suffered. "I bet you're just wishing you could hide right now but looks like you'll just have to face it this time Theo."

"Caleb." Theo panted guiltily. "I'm sorry, I know I should have fought them for you but I was scared. You have every right to hate me but when they died...If you had just come to me, I would have helped you voluntarily." He tried but Caleb let out a disgusted snort.

"Every day I waited for you to come and save me. I loved you like a big brother, I trusted you. When they brought me back here...The things they did were like torture." The other chimera shouted, he looked tormented and he brushed a hand through his hair bitterly.

"I know, I know I'm sorry." Theo replied, his head was bowed in shame but Caleb reached forward and dragged him by the hair to look at his face.

"You're sorry? It's a bit fucking late for that isn't it." Caleb hissed, hand tightening painfully in his hair and Theo met his eyes sadly.

"I thought you were dead Caleb, they discarded failures all the time and I didn't know you were alive otherwise I would have come for you when they died." He tried to reason but the other chimera obviously thought they were the wrong words to say.

"Failure? You think I'm a failure Theo? Sorry we can't all be like you. So many lives were lost as they tried to recreate what you had become but look at you now. Just as helpless as the rest of us." He laughed sinisterly, eyes losing focus before zeroing back in on him and Caleb punched him again whilst still keeping his grip on Theo's hair.

"Killing me isn't going to undo what they did to you." Theo panted.

"Oh we're not gonna kill you just yet big brother." Caleb smirked. "We're gonna find out what makes you tick, then we're gonna save ourselves and become what you are."

Theo's eyes widened when he realised what that meant, these chimeras were all failed experiments of the Doctors and so they wanted to experiment on him to get the same powers. It would never work, he'd spent enough time here to know that if the Doctors couldn't make it work then they had too much of a cocktail in their DNA to fix it.

Believe it or not, it was a balance and it was a delicate one. They had to get the perfect amount of both sets of supernatural creatures and human correct or it could lead to what he was seeing in all the other teens and no amount of adding to their DNA would fix them.

He screamed in pain as the electricity was turned on again, he lost control of the wolf completely and had shifted completely back to human after it was switched off. The girl again ran back to take more blood samples and another piece of skin was carelessly cut off.

Theo was exhausted, mentally and physically and he was ready to just surrender. Everything hurt, he just wanted to be back in his den where he felt safest and a part of him wondered with a sick sense of fascination if Tara was watching his suffering smugly.

"We've been watching you y'know?" Caleb mused as he leaned back in his seat and watched his reactions closely. "You and that beta seemed close. If he hadn't showed up today we would have had you much earlier, it took us a while to find you but Jacob noticed you at the window." He added with a grin but Theo merely looked at him, trying to keep his face emotionless so he wouldn't give anything away.

"What would he think Theo?" Caleb's tone became wry and there was a glint in his eyes that Theo didn't like. "What would any of them think if they found out what you've done? Hmm? Your beloved sister that you murdered on that bridge, the very same one you were hugging him on." He tutted, laughing when a tear fell from Theo's cheek as he knew he'd hit a nerve.

"Aw are you crying? Poor Theo Raeken, the Doctors' favourite. Their protégé that would help them change the world. You really are a monster through and through aren't you? You're fooling no one with those crocodile tears, I may have fallen under your spell before but you're a liar. You promised we would get out of here together, you said you would always take care of me but you're just like them. They lied and manipulated you just as you've done to me. This is what you deserve." Caleb spat angrily.

"I didn't lie." Theo growled, emotions getting the best of him and Caleb raised a brow with a smirk. "I promised I would get us out of here, which I did and I went out to get us something to eat so we wouldn't starve. The Doctors came, if I had tried to fight them off; we both would have been taken and you know it!" He shouted desperately. "I  _am_  sorry, I should have came back for you but I just didn't know how and I regret it every day."

"You don't even know how to be sorry." Caleb hissed. "But now you  _will_ be." He added, turning to look at the girl who had been taking notes of her samples and she nodded with a grin. "We have all we need, we don't need you anymore and the world will not miss you."

Caleb signalled to the man behind him and Theo's anxiety skyrocketed, the electricity was turned on full and he let out a heart-wrenching scream as the pain surrounded him again. This was the worst way to go as his body struggled to move against the chains to try and get into a position that would lessen the pain even just a little.

When his eyes blazed open, growls of his self-preserving coyote escaping; he saw the self-satisfied smirk of Caleb and in the corner of his eye he saw the glowing of flames lighting up the room. For a moment, he thought it was the gates of hell opening and Tara was there in his mind's eye waiting for him.

The electricity was ripped away from him then, his entire body convulsing with the aftershocks and he heard those angry howls he would recognise anywhere. He raised his head weakly, trying to see where they were coming from and he saw Liam fighting against two other chimeras. Liam looked angrier than he'd ever seen him, almost feral as he fought tooth and nail, the deputy was on fire and fighting against a few of the braver chimeras.

A broody looking werewolf with blue eyes that Theo had never seen before was fighting against the man who'd taken the skin samples and he vaguely registered the lessening tension in his bonds. The scents of the invisible chimera and Mason were close and they were working on freeing him while Caleb was being pulled away by the girl.

Once Theo was free, he was helped onto the floor and he took a deep breath and pulled the full-shift over him, just barely being able to do it but he stood his ground when he could hear the two invisible figures protest.

Caleb noticed him, shoving the girl away from him and he shifted himself. Theo barely kept himself from throwing up when he looked at the boy; his skin was a patchwork of different shades, some of the skin was invisible in places whereas his face had become a grotesque lumpy mixture of wolf and kanima.

"Theo!" Caleb shouted, voice coming out as a half-growl half-groan and he ran towards the wolf. Theo ran too, stumbling only slightly as they met in the middle with claws and teeth sinking into wherever they could. "I'm going to fucking kill you for what you did." He growled, digging his claws into Theo's back as the wolf let out a whimper and suddenly Liam was there.

"I don't fucking think so." The werewolf growled, launching into Caleb and knocking him away from the wolf. "Corey, Mason. Get him out of here!" Liam shouted, focusing his attention on taking on Caleb and the girl who had decided to join the fray.

Theo whined when he was picked up, turning invisible as well as Corey held a hand to him and he struggled weakly against them as they were leaving the fight.

"Theo, stop." Mason's voice said softly. "You can't fight, they'll be okay." He added reassuringly as they hurried outside, they got to Mason's car and Corey set him down in the back seat gently after they materialised. Mason and Corey quickly got into the front and then they drove off.

"Should we take him to Deaton's?" Corey asked his boyfriend worriedly but Theo gave out a growl in protest, truth be told he wanted to be back in his den but he knew they wouldn't take him there.

"Well we can't force him." The human replied with a shrug. "We could take him back to Liam's?" The decision seemed to be made when Theo made no response so they quietly made their way towards Liam's house.

When the car stopped, Corey walked around the car and eased him into his arms. "Sorry." He whispered when Theo let out a small whine of pain and they walked towards the door, Mason used the key he'd been given to open the door and Theo struggled a little until he was set down and he crawled himself to the wall by the couch.

His coyote was dominant right now, the wolf too tired to fight and he didn't want anyone near him for a while. He growled a little, when the other two approached but looked at them apologetically when they froze and they nodded a little with their hands out in surrender.

"No touching right now, we got it." Mason murmured, pulling Corey back with him to sit on the other couch and they sat in silence. Theo froze when he heard the footsteps hurrying downstairs and he debated just running out the door when he noticed Liam's mom there.

"Liam? Is that you?" Jenna asked worriedly, pulling the cardigan she had on around herself and both the other boys stood quickly.

"Sorry Mrs Geyer, it's just us." Corey hurried to explain politely and she rolled her eyes with a weak smile.

"Come on now, how many times have I told you to call me Jenna. Now where are they?" She said quickly.

"Liam's still fighting with Derek and Parrish." Mason explained apologetically.

"And Theo?" She asked hesitantly, like it would actually matter if he'd gotten hurt.

"He's in self-preservation mode right now." The human mumbled, turning to look at the older chimera and Jenna gasped softly.

Theo knew what he must look like, patches of fur matted or missing and if he was human there would be electrical burns all over his skin. Jenna made to move closer but Mason pulled her back and shook his head, she nodded before leaving the room and headed upstairs.

Theo shivered as the residual pain throbbed through his synapses, his eyes fluttered shut as he tried to fight the exhaustion and he was still upset that he'd been pulled out of the fight. What if Liam didn't make it out? What if he got hurt because of him? He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

He startled when he felt himself being surrounded with a blanket, he let out a half-hearted growl but his senses were immediately flooded with Liam's scent and Jenna hushed him softly.

"It's okay sweetheart." She whispered, swaddling him in the duvet and he couldn't help but feel safe. "Corey darling, help me with him." Jenna said to the chameleon chimera and then Theo was airborne. They carried him upstairs and into Liam's room where the werewolf's scent was strongest and set him down gently onto the bed.

He was hidden beneath the blankets but there was a little hole that he could still see and breathe through so he wouldn't feel smothered and Jenna bent down to look at him at eye level. "Don't worry, Liam will be home soon okay?" She murmured softly, reaching out to stroke his head but seemingly thinking better of it as she pulled back. "Just rest, call us if you need anything okay?"

They retreated then, heading back downstairs and Theo kept his hearing trained on them.

"How did you know that would work?" Mason asked curiously and Jenna let out a small chuckle.

"I may not have known about all this that long but I know how it works now. Liam's told me all about the scent thing so I thought that would help." She answered softly and Theo couldn't help but feel warm at that. His coyote was calmer now, the blankets allowed him to hide while the scent made him feel safe and he couldn't fight the exhaustion anymore as he drifted.

He startled awake when he heard Jenna's relieved cry of "Liam, thank god." His heart sped up when he realised that Liam was back, he wanted to get up and go check on him himself but he was still in hide mode so he waited with bated breath.

"I'm okay mom." He heard the beta say and he breathed out a sigh of relief at hearing his voice.

"So? What happened?" Mason asked worriedly and Liam let out a sigh.

"Caleb and the other chimeras have all got a one way trip to Eichen House; Argent arrived to help transport them and while it might not be the most ideal solution it's the best place for them." Liam explained guiltily.

"Scott would be so proud of you." Corey said and Liam let out a relieved laugh.

"Well I hope so, Derek was a huge help in getting them to Eichen so I'm glad he showed up to help." He replied gratefully.

"Well I'm sure you can all talk about this tomorrow." Jenna said matter-of-factly. "Right now though you need to get your butt upstairs and see if Theo's okay, he won't shift back and we need to take a look at him to make sure he doesn't need to go to Deaton's or the hospital." She explained worriedly.

"We'll see you tomorrow Liam, let us know if he's okay." Mason said, both he and his boyfriend bidding their goodbyes and Liam hurried upstairs.

The beta walked into his room, pulling off his torn up shirt and slipping on another as Theo peeked out at him from his vantage point. He approached the bed slowly, easing himself down beside him and he reached into the hole to help lift him out of his blankety cocoon and half onto his lap.

"Hey." He whispered softly, hand stroking Theo's head tenderly and lightly scratching him behind the ears. Theo buried his face into Liam's stomach, letting out a soft whine when Liam's hand brushed against one of the burns on his back.

"Shift back for me?" Liam asked lightly, eyes begging when Theo looked up at him and the chimera let out a quiet groan when the fur receded and his bones shifted painfully. His lower half was covered by the blanket cocoon, half curled around Liam and they hugged carefully.

"I was worried for you." Theo whispered shyly and Liam kissed the side of his head softly.

"How do you think I felt? When they took you I swear I was losing my mind. I just got you and then you were gone." The beta replied anxiously, he pulled back to take stock of all of Theo's injuries and he lightly placed his hand on Theo's back to take his pain.

"Don't." The chimera protested weakly but the werewolf didn't listen as he took as much pain as he could which triggered Theo's very slow healing but at least it was working. When he was satisfied that he'd taken enough Liam finally lifted his hand and stroked the chimera's bruised cheek.

"Why were you out there?" Liam asked, he looked like he'd wanted to know the answer all night and Theo sighed defeatedly.

"I couldn't sleep so I sat at the window, they must have seen me and they tricked me by pretending one of them was in trouble...Didn't realise it was a trap until it was too late." He grumbled guiltily. "I failed them Liam."

"Hey, it wasn't your fault." The beta reassured but Theo shook his head sadly.

"It was; a bunch of us tried to get out and only Caleb and I made it. We made it to the woods, thinking they couldn't find us there and when I was out on a hunt they found Caleb, he screamed for me while I hid like a coward. I was terrified of what they would do if they caught us, me especially as they needed me to recreate the shift and that caused them to make more and more chimeras which were failures." Theo explained, a tear escaping as he frantically tried to reel back his emotions and Liam pulled him closer, breathing in his scent.

"Theo, you can't seriously think that it's your fault for being afraid of them. If you had tried to stop them that day, you could have ended up captured too or worse; dead. It's okay to feel guilty but don't blame yourself for something you couldn't have done anything about. Caleb seemed really sick; like the things they've done to him has messed with his head. It's not an excuse but he probably has no control over it now." Liam told him honestly.

Theo ducked his head, he knew the beta was right but it didn't make him feel any less guilty and he buried his face in Liam's neck. Liam leaned down to kiss his cheek, and then his bare shoulder and Theo couldn't help but feel safe in the werewolf's arms. His eyes drifted shut, the beta easing himself down the bed and allowing the chimera to rest on his chest.

He woke up groggily, the birds tweeting as the sunlight blazed down at them and he cursed the god he didn't believe in as he was in pain. Theo lifted his head from the warm neck when he felt the slow strokes the werewolf was drawing on his back and their eyes met.

"Morning." Liam murmured with fond but tired eyes and a sleepy smile. "Your face looks better." He commented as his free hand reached up to stroke his cheek.

"You trying to say something?" Theo joked lightly, a small smirk appearing on his own lips as his wolf preened at the attention and he let out a content sigh.

"Just admiring your face." He whispered, cheeks warming and he looked away sheepishly.

"Thanks, I grew it myself." The chimera commented, eyes dancing at the soft atmosphere between them and Liam chuckled lightly.

"We're so lame." He grumbled, rubbing his face in embarrassment.

"I grew up with the Dread Doctors and lived out in the woods as a wolf, what's your excuse?" Theo smirked when Liam opened his mouth to comment but closed it again when he couldn't and he laughed again.

"Touché." Liam replied in defeat, his eyes quickly scanned the rest of Theo that he could see and the blackened electrical burns had already faded to slight red marks. "You sure you don't want Deaton to take a look at you?" Liam asked Theo with a concerned frown.

"I'll be fine I promise, my healing's just slower than yours so it can take a while." Theo explained reassuringly and Liam breathed out a sigh.

"I'm just worried about you." He told the chimera and Theo smiled fondly at the boy in front of him.

"Yeah well don't be, you saved me didn't you? I'm right here." Theo murmured, eyes soft and he leaned in to kiss Liam's cheek but the beta's face turned and their lips met in a tender kiss. Theo's eyes fell shut and he hesitantly leaned more into it whilst Liam's hand reached up to brush through his hair.

"I'm sorry, I just really wanted to do that." Liam mumbled when they pulled back, Theo shook his head with a fond grin and he leaned in again to brush his lips against the beta.

"Me too." He whispered into his lips, pulling the beta closer and his lips pressing little pecks across his lips, his cheek, his jaw before finally settling on his neck and he breathed in deeply through his nose.

Both boys held each other close, and Theo felt truly happy for the first time in his life. Maybe he didn't deserve it, maybe he should have died a long time ago but he forgot about all of that as Liam's scent surrounded him, his arms stroking his bare back and holding him close and for the first time he felt like he belonged.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter/epilogue as promised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm finally back, y'all thought I would forget but nope! I had a lot of trouble with this one as I overthought it (and rewrote it twice) and then I got a new job so I was dealing with that as well but I finally finished it! I hope you enjoy it. Any mistakes will be fixed during a reread and if you want me to add anything in there I can but I hope you like it!

"Theo, hurry up or we'll be late." Liam's voice echoed up the stairs and Theo stubbornly didn't answer as he tried to hide under his bed in full-shift.

After a few seconds of silence, the werewolf thundered up the stairs to find out where the stubborn chimera had gone and he opened Theo's bedroom door.

"I know you're in here, I can hear your heartbeat." He said with an exasperated sigh. "It's gonna be okay, I'll be with you the whole time."

Theo studiously ignored the reassuring words, pressing himself against the wall and Liam suddenly dropped to the ground and their eyes met.

"Don't be like that." Liam said softly, hand reaching out to touch his paw and Theo had half a mind to give him a nip but he could already feel his resolve weakening at the gentle look. "Please?" The beta begged with full puppy eyes on display and the chimera grumbled with a defeated sigh as he allowed the werewolf to pull him out.

"You can take on hunters, chimeras and ghost riders but you can't handle one pack meeting?" The beta joked with a smirk as the chimera rolled his eyes and shifted back.

"Why did I let you talk me into this again?" Theo grumped as he got dressed into the light blue jeans and Lilac shirt that Jenna had bought him the week before.

"Because you need to get out of the house and meet new people?" He replied vaguely, chuckling softly when the chimera folded his arms huffily and he brushed a hand through Theo's hair. "Don't pout."

"I'm not asshole...and I've already met them." He was pouting and he knew the beta was right...but that didn't mean that he had to like it.

"When you were a wolf, sure but they're all dying to meet you as yourself." Liam murmured with a pleading look.

"Liam." Theo sighed nervously.

"It's gonna be fine, just try okay? This is important to me, I want you to have some semblance of a normal life and I know you want that too." Liam replied reassuringly, Theo nodded with a weak smile and the beta squeezed his hand lightly.

"I'll try." Theo mumbled and the werewolf nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer as he pulled the chimera by the hand and they headed downstairs.

"Finally, I was about to call the sheriff and file a missing persons report." Jenna said when she caught a glimpse of them. "Liam, your dad's gonna drive you both round to Scott's okay? I've gotta go to work." She added regretfully, walking over and pulling them both into a hug.

Stephen Geyer walked into the room then, a fond smile appearing on his face when he saw them and Theo nodded in greeting.

"You're gonna be fine Theo, if Stiles says anything tell him he'll have to answer to me." Jenna told the chimera with a smirk and he couldn't help but snort.

"I think I can handle Stiles." He replied and Liam gave him a relieved smile as Theo had relaxed somewhat.

"Well then, we should get going." Stephen said, leaving Jenna to get ready for work as he grabbed his keys from the bowl by the front door and Theo sighed nervously as he followed the tugging of Liam's hand.

"I'm tempted to go as a wolf just to spite you." Theo grumbled to the werewolf and Liam rolled his eyes as they got into the back of the car.

"Stop being such a drama queen, this might be the only night we'll see the whole pack together before they all go off again and I want you to be there." Liam complained, leaning into Theo's side and the chimera relaxed into it, putting his arm around the beta's shoulders.

"Fine." He ground out, he had to get it together as he knew there was no turning back now and it was important to Liam so he knew he had to try.

He owed the boy beside him, for much more than just allowing him to live with him and he didn't know how he could repay that debt. For the whole week after the chimera attack, Liam had done nothing but be reassuring and attentive, making sure Theo was comfortable and he even went as far as going to Deaton to get some medication for an infection he'd somehow developed from the no doubt unclean tools the chimeras had used on him.

Theo knew it couldn't have been an easy adjustment, he was more coyote than wolf that whole week and Jenna did her best when Liam had school but he wouldn't let anyone get too close except for the beta. He still felt bad for howling at her when she'd accidentally sneaked up on him in the kitchen...he'd fled that day and hidden himself in the woods until both she  _and_  Liam came to get him.

He healed, maybe not mentally but physically at least, he was fine. Liam thought he'd needed time to adjust so he wanted to take this delicate thing between them slow which was something Theo didn't even know he needed but the werewolf seemed to know him better than he knew himself.

Stephen pulled up outside a house, there was music coming from inside and Mason and Corey were already waiting for them. Theo swallowed nervously, averting his gaze as he tried to tamp down on his anxiety.

"It's gonna be okay." Liam murmured, turning Theo's face towards his as he stroked his cheek reassuringly and the chimera nodded warily. "Bye Dad."

"Be safe, both of you." Doctor Geyer told them and Liam answered with a "we will" before they exited the car. They walked over to where Mason and Corey were waiting, the couple smiling in greeting before Corey waved to Nolan and Alex as they walked down the street.

Nolan and Alex hadn't actually seen him in his human form yet so he'd backed up behind Liam when they looked over at him curiously.

"Is this the infamous Theo?" Nolan asked cheerfully, Theo raised an eyebrow at that but otherwise stayed quiet when Liam intervened and nodded.

"Yeah don't mind him, he's pouting at the moment." Liam replied nonchalantly and Theo growled lightly.

"Can he talk?" Nolan asked worriedly.

"No hablo ingles." Theo said sarcastically and Liam elbowed him in the side. "Of course I can talk dumbass." He added and sighed when the beta turned to glare at him.

"Be nice." Liam hissed quietly.

"I can only do one thing at a time which is be here or be nice. Which is it?" The older chimera snarked grumpily, folding his arms again in protest and Liam rolled his eyes.

"Can't you do both?" He asked gently, curse Liam and his damn puppy eyes.

"Fine." Theo grumbled. "But only because I like you." He whispered so only the beta could hear.

"I'll take it." Liam replied gratefully, leaning in to nudge his side and his wolf preened at the approval as the scent of the boy soothed him.

"No sense in putting it off, let's go." Mason said quickly, walking side by side with Corey as they all headed towards the house.

"Scott, have you seen my – oh hello boys." Melissa greeted when they walked through the door, the others were all waiting in the living room and had cheered with some form of drink in their hands.

"Hey Melissa, you look great as always." Mason told her fondly and she rolled her eyes as she pulled him into a hug.

"Yes, yes what do you want?" She asked jokingly, pulling the other boys into her arms as well and Theo made sure to stand behind Liam so he would go unnoticed. "Alex, I want you to stay home tonight okay?" Melissa told the youngest werewolf with a pointed look and he nodded shyly, Nolan shuffled awkwardly beside him and Theo couldn't help but smirk at their guilty faces.

"Hey guys." Lydia said as she walked over to them, Stiles had his arm around her shoulders and he eyed Theo suspiciously. "Theo right? It's nice to see you with clothes on." She joked as she took a sip of her drink, Stiles looked between them gaping like a fish and Theo ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Wait he was naked? What?" Stiles narrowed his eyes at Theo like he'd done something untoward and the anxiety got the best of him as his eyes began to glow.

"Theo." Liam hissed and his eyes shot to the beta's, immediately calming as he caught himself and Stiles let out a snort.

"Well we know who wears the leash in that relationship." He remarked slyly.

"Well it certainly isn't you." Theo retorted with a pointed look at Lydia and Stiles opened his mouth and closed it again as the banshee looked up at her boyfriend through her eyelashes.

Theo pressed himself against the wall when he smelled the Alpha walking over with Malia in tow, he was half-tempted to run but Liam's hand reached up to grip his elbow like he'd read his mind and he sighed internally.

"Hey, thanks for coming." Scott welcomed them all. "Don't just stand there, go get yourselves a drink." He told them warmly and the others headed into the living room.

Scott hovered, looking at Theo curiously and Liam nudged him towards him.

"Can we talk?" Scott asked the older chimera and after another encouraging look from Liam, he reluctantly followed Scott into the kitchen. "So how are you feeling?" The alpha asked worriedly when he turned to speak.

"Fine, I guess." Theo mumbled with a helpless shrug, eyes taking note of the exits if he needed to make a quick escape.

"Don't worry, you're not in any trouble or anything." Scott told him reassuringly, a small smile on his face. "Actually, I wanted to thank you." He added and Theo looked up warily.

"For what?" He asked cautiously.

"For saving my pack? For helping everyone out when you could?" The alpha replied like it should have been obvious and the chimera shook his head dismissively.

"Just doing what I felt was right." Theo mumbled awkwardly, Scott smiled warmly and moved closer causing the chimera to take an instinctive step back.

"How long were you living as a wolf?" He asked curiously.

"About five maybe six months?" The chimera replied with a confused frown as he wondered where the alpha could be going with this.

"Do you find it hard to be in social situations like this?" Scott questioned, giving him a sympathetic look when Theo nodded slightly. "You'll get used to it okay? Just don't push yourself if you're not ready...and try not to let Stiles get to you, he can be very...well just know that he doesn't mean it." He added kindly and held his hand out.

Theo looked at the hand for a second too long but he promised Liam he would try so he swallowed and shook Scott's hand, the alpha smiled approvingly before pulling back.

"So, you and Liam." Scott murmured quietly so only the chimera could hear him and Theo ducked his head.

"Yeah." He replied with a soft smile, his wolf was whining because it wanted to be closer to said beta right now but he knew he had to have this conversation with Scott first.

"I'm sure it goes without saying but if you hurt him..." Scott trailed off with a smirk and Theo shook his head wryly.

"Let me guess, you'll kill me?" The chimera replied with a smile.

"I mean, there might be a queue." The alpha grinned when Theo chuckled.

"I don't intend to so don't worry." Theo murmured as his smile softened.

"Good." Scott said cheerfully. "Let's join the others before all the good snacks are gone." He added as he gestured for the chimera to go first and they headed into the living room together.

Liam looked up at him when they walked in, he could see the pride in his eyes when Scott handed him a drink and he hurried over to sit beside him on the couch. The beta leaned into his side when he settled, smiling up at him when he breathed in his scent and Theo couldn't help but smile back as the conversation between he and the alpha had went well.

Liam was right, this wasn't so bad and although he was far from used to situations like this, he found that he could get used to them as long as the beta was near. It was only when he could smell the faint trace of wolvesbane from his beer that he felt suspicious and he looked at the bottle in Liam's hand quickly.

Reaching over, he plucked it from the beta's hand and sniffed it before putting both of them on the coffee table.

"Theo, what's wrong?" Liam asked him worriedly and he could feel the coyote trying to break free, he shook his head quickly, grabbing Liam's hand and pulled him out of the room as he headed outside in a panic. "Theo." The beta insisted, tugging him to a stop and he turned rapidly.

"I need to get you to Deaton's now, you drank at least half of it." He said anxiously, Liam stared at him in confusion for a moment before realisation seemed to dawn on him and he bit his lip to hide his fond grin.

"It's okay Theo, we can't get drunk so we put a little bit of wolvesbane in our drinks so we can." Liam explained and the chimera looked at him wide-eyed before he ducked his head in shame.

"Shit, I didn't know that...Not exactly something I needed to know with the Doctors." Theo replied guiltily.

"While I'm glad you were worried about me, what's say we join the party?" The beta asked, squeezing the chimera's hand with a warm smile and Theo sighed as he still felt embarrassed.

"Okay." He mumbled, feeling nervous about having to go back inside and explain himself but Liam leaned in and kissed him lightly.

It was merely a brush of lips but it set Theo's nerve-endings alight and he pressed back shyly. Liam pulled back, eyes dancing with affection as he walked backwards and pulled Theo with him into the house.

"Everything okay?" Scott asked worriedly when they came back in and Theo avoided everyone's eyes as Liam pulled him to sit beside him on the couch again.

"It's all good." Liam replied dismissively, everyone must have got the hint because they didn't push it for which Theo was grateful.

"So Theo, have you any plans for the future?" Lydia asked him curiously and he shrugged nervously.

"Not really, still getting used to this whole thing." He replied cautiously, Liam squeezed his hand encouragingly and he smiled weakly.

"You could try going back to school?" Nolan suggested, looking back at him uncertainly as their eyes met and Theo shrugged again as he truly didn't know what he wanted.

"I mean it's not a bad idea?" Scott said optimistically.

"Maybe." The older chimera replied, it made sense really if he wanted to get somewhere in life but it was still hard for him to imagine a life outside the preserve as that was something he'd made peace with until Liam steamrolled all over that idea.

"It's up to you." Liam told him softly, he had a tender smile on his face like he'd be happy with whatever Theo chose to do as long as it was something that would make him happy and he couldn't help but smile back.

The moment passed then and suddenly the pack began discussing their own plans for their respective colleges and for their futures. Theo was happy that the attention was finally off of him and he could just sit back and watch Liam interact with his pack members.

All in all, he'd had a good night, even with Stiles' dirty looks and comments about interlopers but he survived.

When the night was over and conversations had dwindled, Corey, Mason, Nolan and Liam all stood up to hug their goodbyes. Theo understandably kept back as he was still unsure but Lydia came over after hugging Mason and pulled him into her arms.

"Don't think you can escape, you're one of us now." She murmured as he awkwardly hugged her back.

"Arms above the waist buddy." Stiles remarked as he watched them like a hawk but Lydia paid him no mind as she whispered a 'thank you' into his ear before pulling back.

Theo nodded shyly, Scott making his move then to hug him as well but at least he was more prepared this time and he hugged back quickly.

"Keep him safe." He heard the alpha mumble and he nodded earnestly, Malia thankfully wasn't the hugging type so they merely smiled amicably at each other and Stiles held his hand out with a smirk.

"It's good to meet you...even if you did try to eat me." The snarky one said honestly and Theo merely rolled his eyes with a snort as he shook his hand.

"If I had wanted to eat you, I would have." Theo winked, and the other boy looked at him nervously as his head tiled to the side and his eyes narrowed.

"I can't tell if you're joking...Liam!" Stiles called and the beta looked over curiously. "Does he eat people?"

Liam snorted. "Don't worry Stiles, you don't have enough meat on the bones for him to want to." Theo stuck his tongue out at the werewolf but he huffed out a laugh anyway.

"I resent that a little." Stiles retorted. "Y'see Scott? He has no loyalty." He gestured at Liam and Scott rolled his eyes before beckoning his best friend over.

Liam walked over to Theo, reaching out to take his hand as he led him to the door with the others and the chimera held a hand up to say goodbye to the rest of the pack.

"Try not to leave it too long for a visit." Mason said, leaning into Corey as they all bid their goodbyes and headed out.

They walked down the street together, Liam keeping a firm grip on him as their hands lightly swayed between them and Theo couldn't help the warm feeling that swelled in his chest when the beta smiled at him softly.

Mason and Corey were talking amicably with Nolan as the trainee hunter was feeling slightly left out but the atmosphere was light between them despite the late hour. Theo had another moment where he believed he didn't deserve this but he found himself not caring when Liam laughed at something his best friend had said.

His wolf was purring with happiness at being by his mate's side, that was the only word he could use to describe the connection they had and he felt overwhelmingly grateful that this was something he was allowed.

He'd fought the bond at first, he knew he'd tried to resist the pull he felt but he was all too glad that Liam wouldn't allow him to do it. The werewolf knew the dark side of him but wanted to be with him anyway and as much as it would be easier to run away from this...He wouldn't have had much of a life out in the forest.

The older chimera nodded reassuringly when Liam looked over at him worriedly, asking him if he was okay with his eyes and he slipped his hand out of the beta's as he instead put his arm over his shoulders and pulled him closer.

The group went their separate ways at the end of the street, Nolan staying with the other couple as they lived in the same direction and soon it was just the two of them.

Theo took a deep breath of fresh air, the faint scent of pine needles reached his nose from the surrounding forest and he found himself thinking he could get used to being himself. He hadn't quite known who that was before, the Dread Doctors had made him a monster but he hadn't wanted to be their weapon and he'd escaped.

That forced him to rethink his entire life, who he was and who he wanted to be. He wanted to be better, Liam was a big factor in that but he also didn't want to be the monster he thought he was and he found himself being grateful to the beta for tearing down his walls.

"You're quiet tonight." Liam commented, knowing that Theo was thinking about things and letting him know he could voice his thoughts but not pushing. It was something Theo loved about him, he always knew when to push and when to allow the chimera time to process.

"Just thinking." He murmured, squeezing him closer as he turned his nose into his hair and breathed in deeply.

"Penny for your thoughts?" The beta asked lightly as he slid an arm around his waist and they kept walking slowly back to Liam's house.

"Just glad you talked me into this..." Theo trailed off, meaning more than just going to the pack meeting but not wanting to say it, Liam seemed to get the hint though as he looked up at him and they slowed to a stop.

"I'm just glad you let me." Liam murmured with a small smile. "It's not always gonna be easy but you do deserve this." He added with a helpless shrug and earnest eyes.

"I might not always believe that but I'm starting to." Theo replied softly, leaning in to kiss the werewolf shyly and Liam's arms circled his neck as a hand slid into his hair. Theo pulled him closer by the waist and placed a hand on the beta's cheek as their lips moved together.

His wolf sang as it always did when they kissed, it felt right and the chimera felt his stolen heart beat faster at the contact. They pulled back reluctantly, their foreheads resting together and Theo leaned down to kiss Liam's cheek.

"Wanna watch a movie and go to sleep?" Liam asked with an affectionate grin and the chimera nodded happily. Theo had his own room at the Dunbar-Geyer house but he never slept in it, ever since he moved in he'd been sleeping beside Liam as the contact soothed his coyote and both of them preferred the closeness.

Jenna had had her reservations at first as she wanted Theo to learn to sleep on his own but Liam would sneak him into his room anyway and she promptly gave up when her son explained that he'd slept by himself out in the woods for months.

They resumed their walk, Liam sliding his hand into his again as they moved in a comfortable silence and soon they reached Liam's house. Doctor Geyer's steady heartbeat from upstairs was the only noise in the house as he'd finally had a night off from the hospital and wanted to get a full night's sleep.

They crept silently up the stairs so they wouldn't wake the man as they headed into Liam's room, Theo sat down on the bed whilst Liam set everything up before he joined the chimera in bed. The chimera immediately moved closer to cuddle into his side and he buried his nose in the beta's neck as he wasn't really all that bothered about the movie and Liam let out a content sigh.

This was new too, Liam wanted to take things slow as he was always the one making the tentative first move as Theo hadn't been sure how to ask for what he wanted but he soon learned that the werewolf genuinely loved when he was comfortable enough to move first. Liam had allowed him to have time to sort through his thoughts and he was coming around to the idea of intimacy.

The morning after the chimera attack, Theo had felt happier than he'd ever felt in his life but he didn't know just how much this feeling would impact his life and sometimes it could be overwhelming which led to him pulling away but Liam was always there with a patient hand to lead him back.

He settled into the beta's hold as his thoughts slowly drifted off and he fell asleep to the scent that soothed both his creatures and himself.

Life went on and Theo was slowly adjusting to living as himself, he still left the house once a week to run as the wolf through the preserve and visit Tara's bridge. He always did it while Liam was at school, letting Jenna know where he was going so she wouldn't worry but it warmed him somewhat that he had someone worrying about him.

It was still new to him that he needed to let someone know where he was going, living with the Dread Doctors who kept a tight leash on him and then living in the woods for months where he had to answer to no one.

The first time he disappeared for a run, Liam was frantically called out of school to go looking for him and the beta had looked ragged as he ran through the forest. Theo headed towards him confused, looking around warily in case the werewolf was being chased but Liam just begged him to change back so he did.

Liam threw his arms around him then, panting slightly from running and told him he'd been so worried about him after his mom had called him in a panic. From then on he let her know where he was going; she made him wear a necklace with one of those old flip-phones on it which was sweet of her and totally not her being overprotective. Nope...And Theo would never dare to tell her that.

Around two months after Theo had moved in, he began to worry about Liam as the beta had become irritable, his wolf was always angry and he had control issues to do with his IED but he'd tried to hide it from the chimera. Liam would come home from school, he would rush upstairs and do his homework and only really interact with Theo when they were going to bed.

Don't get Theo wrong, Liam was still as attentive and affectionate when they went to bed together but he reeked of anxiety and stress. There was also trace amounts of blood in his scent which Theo knew was probably from the beta digging his claws into his own hands but still, he couldn't help but be suspicious of what was happening to his mate at school.

He'd asked Corey about it one evening, they'd been hanging out a lot more recently and he actually liked the younger chimera as they shared other things in common apart from the obvious. Corey had said there was someone at school giving Liam a hard time but he wouldn't say anymore than that as he wasn't sure how the older chimera would take it but he assured him he wouldn't do anything stupid...yet.

It was when Liam came home smelling of a mixture of sadness and blood that Theo decided to do some investigating of his own. He didn't push, he pulled the beta into his arms and Liam went willingly as he buried his nose into the chimera's neck and he tried to be the reassuring presence that Liam was for him.

When Liam went to school the next day, he told Jenna he was going on another run but didn't take his phone as he was trying to go undetected. He full-shifted before he left the house and headed towards the school, being careful to use the short-cuts so he wouldn't be spotted before he settled just on the outskirts of the lacrosse field.

Focusing his hearing, his heart settled at picking up the familiar heartbeat that lulled him to sleep at night and he kept his attention on it for when it would elevate. It only took an hour or two before it went up and he chanced sneaking closer as he tried to hide himself under the bleachers.

Liam was backed up against a wall, an arrogant looking kid with a few other jock types were standing around him and the asshole was saying something with a smirk.

"We all know what you are freak, that's why Coach likes you so much. You're an abomination that's basically cheating to be captain." The kid said, Theo could smell the blood coming from Liam's hands and he crouched low as he crept forward.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Liam murmured, taking subtle deep breaths as he tried to keep himself calm.

"Cut the shit Dunbar. You're a monster and I'm gonna prove it." The kid hissed menacingly, moving over to punch Liam in the face and the beta dropped to the ground as the other kids moved in to kick at him and he noticed that his boyfriend didn't try to defend himself.

Theo didn't wait, releasing his most menacing howl as the other kids jumped and turned to him. He growled lowly, the asshole had the gall to smirk at him like he'd been vindicated but Theo wouldn't allow them to hurt his mate and get away with it so he ran forward.

Some of the other kids scattered but not the jerk as he grabbed a metal pipe which had been hidden from view on the ground, no doubt they planned on cornering Liam here so they could beat him severely and that seemed to make the chimera angrier.

Liam said nothing, looking up in defeat and shame as he noticed the chimera throwing his weight into the kid and shoving him away from the beta. The kid pushed himself up angrily, only two of his cowardly friends had stayed and they approached Theo with some kind of weapon. Theo bared his teeth in a grin, ready to take them on as Mason and Corey ran onto the scene to help Liam up and out of there.

The kid swung his pipe at the chimera but he zipped under his legs and reared up on his hind legs as he shoved him forward into his friend and they both fell in a heap. He stayed upright, holding his front paws up in a boxing pose and the other boys looked scared at the unnatural image he no doubt portrayed.

Theo let out a loud intimidating growl, putting the fear of a god he didn't believe in into them and they quickly made a run for it. He gave a half-hearted chase, pretending to nip at their ankles as their hearts leapt in a panic before he finally felt satisfied and he turned quickly to chase down the scent of his boyfriend.

He followed the scent out into the parking lot and found that Corey and Mason had already brought him to Mason's car and he hurried over to them.

"Gabe's an asshole, don't let him get to you." Mason was saying worriedly and Liam shook his head sadly. The couple quickly moved out of his way as Theo jumped in through the open door, he nosed at Liam's neck frantically letting out little huffs as checked him over.

"I'm okay Theo." Liam told him dismissively but he knew the beta was just upset and in pain. With an apologetic look at the other couple he shifted back, thankful that the backseat had blackout windows and he slid a hand over his boyfriend's bruised cheek, turning his face towards his.

"You're not okay, you're hurting." Theo murmured with a concerned frown.

"What are you doing here?" The beta asked warily, ignoring Theo's words and he rolled his eyes in response.

"What, you think you're the only one allowed to worry? You think I haven't noticed that you've been different lately? I can smell the sadness and anxiety off you as soon as you come home and I tried giving you your space to work it out but clearly that was a mistake so I had to take matters into my own hands since you wouldn't tell me." The older chimera ranted, frowning at the blood and bruises his boyfriend had and he thanked the god he didn't believe in that he got there in time.

He remembered the day Liam had taken his pain and he wondered if he could do it now as his boyfriend looked back at him apologetically. Theo closed his eyes, concentrating on the bond between them and on trying to take the pain from the beta.

He opened his eyes again with a frustrated sound as he didn't feel anything and he looked at Liam apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to do it." He told his boyfriend sadly and the werewolf shook his head with a weak smile.

"It's okay, don't worry about it I'll heal." He replied softly and Theo leaned in to kiss him tenderly. He was careful not to disturb his wounds and his hand slid into the beta's hair as their lips moved together.

Liam let out a relieved sound and Theo's eyes widened when he felt the pain flowing through him and he kept kissing him until he couldn't feel the sensation anymore. He pulled away reluctantly to look at the werewolf's face, Liam was looking up at him affectionately and he couldn't help but press another soft kiss to his lips.

"Thank you." Liam whispered to his boyfriend, leaning in to hug him and Theo held him close with a relieved smile.

"Anytime, now if you'll excuse me I need to shift back as it'll look a bit weird if I'm walking around naked and I've got a bone to pick with this...Gabe was it?" He turned to Mason to ask, the couple had had their backs turned to them but Mason hummed in affirmation.

"Theo, you can't attack him. He already feels suspicious of us and they're just scared." Liam said urgently.

"I won't attack him as a wolf, I swear." The older chimera said carefully but the beta narrowed his eyes.

"Theo." He complained and Theo rolled his eyes at his boyfriend.

"Liam, I'm not just gonna let people hurt you. For  _any_  reason." He murmured. "Now, I'm gonna go because your mom will probably kill me for leaving my phone behind and I will be back to walk you home okay?" He added and Liam smiled gratefully.

"Fine." The beta replied, leaning in to kiss Theo goodbye before he shifted and hopped out of the car. He looked back at Liam worriedly but his boyfriend waved him off and he ran home.

Jenna was waiting by the door for him when he tried to sneak in, hands on her hips and phone in her hand as she glared at him disapprovingly.

"What have I told you about taking this with you?" She reprimanded and he looked at her apologetically before running upstairs to shift back and get dressed before coming back down to talk.

"Sorry, I forgot about it." He lied but she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Just don't do it again, what would I do if you got hurt? How would we know where to find you huh?" Jenna said, tone softening into her worry and he bit his lip.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Theo replied, holding his hand out to accept the phone and he put it into the pocket of his jeans, Liam's mother seemed satisfied with that as she smiled gratefully and ruffled his hair.

"Thank you, I know you're probably used to just doing your own thing but you're a part of this family now and we take care of our own." She told him with fond eyes when he looked up at her shyly.

"Thanks." He murmured and she pulled him into a hug.

"Don't mention it." Jenna whispered, holding him close and he felt something settle in his chest at the affection.

"I'm gonna go meet Liam and walk him home." He told her when she pulled back, she nodded with a grin and let him go.

Theo walked as fast as he could towards the school, he had promised he wouldn't attack the asshole as a wolf but that didn't mean he couldn't hurt him as a human.  _No one_  gets to hurt what's his and get away with it, it was just as Jenna said; Liam was family and they take care of their own.

He approached the school then, he could almost see the jerk hanging out with his cronies as they smoked cigarettes behind the bleachers and he smirked darkly as he made his way towards them.

"You should have seen the look on his faggot face." Gabe was telling a few of the others that hadn't been present during the exchange. "That's what he gets for messing with me, Coach chose that piece of shit over me to be captain because he's a freak."

"Excuse me?" Theo asked politely and they all turned to him.

"What the fuck do you want?" Gabe asked, taking a long pull of his cigarette and blowing the smoke in his direction.

"Well I couldn't help but overhear but could it be Liam Dunbar you were talking about?" He asked dumbly and the asshole sneered at the name.

"The fuck's it got to do with you?" He snorted and his cronies smirked at him.

"Well it's got plenty to do with me." Theo sniffed. "See from what I hear, you ran away like a little girl." He pointed out and some of the jock types turned to Gabe nervously as they weren't sure what he was going to do.

"You didn't hear shit; that never happened." Gabe said harshly and Theo couldn't help but laugh coldly.

"See I think it did, I have a  _very_  reliable source and said source didn't take too kindly to you and your dickhead friends beating up his boyfriend." Theo said in the same sweet tone, he took a step forward when Gabe straightened with nervous eyes. "What's the matter? You scared?" He asked lightly, smirking when he heard the boy's heartbeat speed up and Gabe looked to his cronies before deciding to be brave and moved forward himself.

"Of you? Never." He said with a humourless laugh.

"Bet you couldn't say that if you were on your own." Theo remarked with an eyeroll and the other boys moved to surround him. "Oh please, give me a reason." He muttered darkly, his wolf was angry and protective, the defensive coyote nowhere to be found and he knew he would have to control himself.

"Maybe we should kick your ass like we did to your faggot boyfriend." Gabe grinned, his first mistake was sending Liam home smelling of sadness and anxiety every day, his second mistake was hurting his boyfriend and this was his third mistake as Theo's eyes narrowed and he punched Gabe  _hard_  in the face. The sound of his nose breaking under his fist was satisfying and the teen let out a startled squeal, the other boys didn't seem to like that very much and they moved in to hit Theo.

He ducked under their flying fists, blocking their kicks with his hands as he shoved them back and one managed to punch him in the cheek. He let his eyes glow then, growling at them which caused them to run away in fear as they abandoned their leader and Gabe's eyes widened when he realised he'd been left alone. Theo grabbed him by the collar, pushing him up against the side of the bleachers and he growled lowly.

"If you ever so much as  _breathe_  in his direction again, I'll come back and this time; I won't hold back. Are we clear?" Theo whispered menacingly, growling again when Gabe merely stared at him in surprise until the teen nodded vigorously.

"I won't, I won't, never again." He told him frantically, Theo nodded in satisfaction as his heart didn't skip and he dropped him as the asshole fell to the ground.

"Good, so long as we're clear. Now, you're gonna go up to him and apologise. You're  _not_  going to tell anyone what happened here and then you're going to leave him alone." The chimera had knelt down to be on his level, holding his hair tightly so their eyes could meet and Gabe nodded quickly. "Go."

Gabe got up quickly and ran, Theo knew Liam wouldn't be too happy with him but he couldn't help himself and at least now he might stop coming home with that scent. He walked back around the school and leaned against a lamppost as he waited for the school bell to signal the end of the day.

Students began to pile out of the school, Mason, Corey and Liam all walked out and Theo noticed that the beta had changed his shirt and he'd been cleaned up of any blood. Liam smiled in greeting when their eyes met but his smile quickly fell when he noticed Gabe's approach, Theo straightened as he waited to see what the asshole would do and he sighed in relief when he overheard Gabe's quick apology.

Liam's eyes widened, Gabe waited until the beta gave his affirmation that he'd accepted the apology in the form of a confused nod before he quickly ran off and avoided the older chimera's gaze. The werewolf's eyes quickly narrowed on Theo suspiciously and he tried to act nonchalant as the boys made their way over to him.

"What did you do?" Liam asked in a disapproving tone.

"I didn't do anything...as a wolf." He replied, muttering the last bit quietly so his heart couldn't skip with a lie and the beta sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You know you could have made things worse, he won't stay afraid forever." His boyfriend said anxiously.

"Well I couldn't just do nothing." Theo replied defensively. "And if he tries anything again, I'll give him a little reminder."

"Theo." Liam sighed but the older chimera wouldn't hear it.

"You  _know_  he deserved it, I would have done the same thing if I was still living as a wolf out in the forest. I went easy on him, I could have been so much worse." He explained worriedly and his boyfriend nodded in acceptance.

"I get it, I might not like it but at least you didn't hurt him too badly." Liam said and moved closer to him.

"I only broke his nose, he's lucky I didn't do more." Theo replied lightly, he pulled Liam into a hug and the beta went easily as he buried his face in Theo's shoulder. "Your mom was mad at me earlier for not taking my phone but I didn't tell her what happened, I thought that was something you needed to tell her."

"It would only make her worry." The werewolf murmured, voice muffled by his shoulder and Theo shrugged.

"She worries about you anyway, at least now she'll know what's been bothering you for the past few weeks." The chimera countered.

"He's right Liam, your mom's always happier when you're honest with her." Mason added into the conversation and both boys looked over in surprise like they'd forgotten they were there. That tended to happen a lot when they were together, sometimes the only people they noticed in a room were each other.

"I guess." Liam replied nervously.

"You know I'm right." Mason said with a knowing grin and the beta rolled his eyes with a small smile.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow." Corey added as he stood outside Mason's car and Liam waved to both of them before he slid his hand into Theo's and they walked off.

"Thank you." Liam murmured after a few minutes of silence and the chimera looked over at him, he had his head down and was chewing on his lip softly.

"Hey." Theo prompted so the beta would look up at him, he slowed to a stop and Liam looked up sadly. "You really think I wouldn't care if something was happening to you?" He asked the other boy gently.

"Of course not, I just..." Liam trailed off with a huff as he wasn't too sure how to explain his scattered thoughts.

"Liam I care about you...A lot and I never expected to care about someone like this, you know that and if someone hurts you, even douchebag jocks from your school..." The chimera looked down insecurely, he never wanted to be this vulnerable with someone but the other boy did that to him. He tore through Theo's walls easily, he didn't even know how far gone the chimera already was and as much as Theo sometimes wished for the days where he was free to only care about himself...He was incredibly grateful that he wasn't alone.

"I just didn't want to push you." The werewolf mumbled and Theo's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Push me into what?" The chimera asked.

"After the whole thing with the chimera attack...I mean it took a while for you to be okay." Liam's eyes widened when Theo frowned and he rushed to explain himself. "I mean you had your own stuff to deal with and I've always had control issues but he just kept pushing and I was so afraid of snapping at someone that I pushed you away a little until I could calm down."

"Liam." Theo sighed, pulling the werewolf closer to him. "Just because I had things to work out doesn't mean that you couldn't come to me for help. You know everything about me, the good and the bad and by some miracle you're still here." He explained as he brushed a hand through his boyfriend's hair. "From now on, if something's bothering you  _especially_  something like this then you should come to me and I'll be there."

Liam nodded with a small smile, leaning in to bury his face in the chimera's neck and Theo pressed a kiss to the top of his head. When he pulled back, Liam tugged him so they could resume their walk home and Theo couldn't help but feel happy when he noticed that the beta's steps seemed lighter.

When they got back to the Dunbar-Geyer household, Jenna greeted them cheerfully and pulled her son into a hug. She eyed the shirt he had on with a confused head tilt, Liam ducked his head softly and asked her if they could talk so Theo headed up to his room.

He kept his hearing focused on the ticking of the clock on his nightstand as he didn't want to eavesdrop on their private conversation, he quickly gathered some clothes and a towel and took a shower while he waited for them to finish.

After changing into some sweats and a loose shirt, he went over to the desk in his room to take a look at the paperwork Derek had managed to get for him and he sighed nervously. Liam had asked Derek to get some forged documents for him so he could have some sort of background information to be able to get a job and go back to school.

A part of him thought it would be easier to just stay in this bubble he'd found himself in, going for a run in the woods as a wolf and interacting with people on his own terms. The life he'd once made peace with no longer appealed to him though, he was starting to forgive himself and allowed himself to have this.

The thought of going back to school was daunting, he was intelligent don't get him wrong and he didn't think it would be too hard to get back up to the level that Liam was at as he'd spent a lot of his free time reading through Liam's work texts but it was the thought of trying to integrate back into society that scared him.

Liam wanted him to have a normal life, or as close to normal as one could get being a former science experiment and Theo wanted that too but he was still nervous. It was still early enough in the school year that Theo could transfer into Liam's grade at school despite being a year older but it was getting his 'backstory' perfected which was a problem.

Jenna had suggested that they tell the school he had been homeschooled which wasn't a bad idea...it was just nerve-wracking to have to explain it to people. He could let Liam do the talking but he was a terrible liar, truly and Theo couldn't help the fond smirk at the thought of the beta trying.

Derek had offered to say he was his cousin which Jenna thought was a great idea, she really was dedicated to helping Theo and he couldn't help but feel grateful for the things he had in life. They were going to enrol him into school in three days, he had a whole weekend of freedom left before he would be joining Liam in school and at least now Gabe definitely would think twice before trying to hurt his boyfriend.

His door opening startled him from his thoughts and he looked over at Liam, the beta looked like he'd been crying but he smelt happy as he moved closer to the chimera. Theo turned in his chair as the werewolf settled himself down on his lap and hugged him, the chimera's arms surrounding him in a tight grip.

"You okay?" Theo asked after a few silent moments, Liam nodded his head against his shoulder and the chimera pulled back to look at him after placing a soft kiss on his neck.

"Thank you." Liam murmured with a small smile.

"You don't need to thank me." He replied fondly, the beta merely nodded and leaned in for a gentle kiss. Theo's arm tightened around the boy in his lap, his other hand moving up to tangle in Liam's hair and the werewolf's head tilted slightly so the kiss deepened.

Theo breathed in through his nose, mouth opening as Liam's tongue tentatively entered his mouth and he breathed out a contented sigh when the beta's arms tightened around his neck. They mouthed at each other languidly, the chimera's hands sliding down Liam's waist and the beta let out a soft moan into his mouth when Theo gently bit down on his lip.

They pulled back from each other then breathlessly, staring into each other's eyes and Liam's hand brushed over Theo's cheek in a move so tender that the chimera couldn't help but close his eyes and lean into the palm.

His eyes opened when he heard the uncertain sigh come from his boyfriend's lips and he frowned worriedly.

"What's wrong?" The chimera asked in a concerned tone and Liam bit his lip nervously. "You know you can tell me anything right?" Theo added with a reassuring smile and the beta nodded softly as he allowed the chimera to link their hands together.

"I love you." He whispered anxiously, eyes looking down at their hands and Theo's eyes widened. His heartrate elevated which caused the beta to shift in place uncomfortably, the wolf inside of him was rejoicing at the words and Theo couldn't stop the smile from growing on his lips. Liam couldn't see it of course, still staring at their hands as he anxiously waited for some kind of response and Theo reached up with his free hand to gently tug Liam's face towards his for a tender kiss.

Liam's heart raced but he kissed back, hand tightening in his as the other one slid up behind the chimera's neck to pull him closer. Theo had honestly never felt so happy in his life, of course the unhelpful thoughts of how he didn't deserve this had surfaced with the words but the relieved smile he could feel against his lips chased those thoughts away.

He pulled back, slipping his hands away from Liam's so he could place them both on either side of the beta's face. "I love you too." He murmured affectionately, he could feel his eyes blurring with unshed tears and his heart swelled with relief.

Someone could love him, Liam fell in love with him and that was something Theo thought was an impossibility. With the sins he had committed, he thought he was unlovable and undeserving but the boy in front of him just proved that Theo maybe deserved a chance. A chance at having something tangible and real, the bond that was shared not just between their wolves but themselves was an ever-growing thing that only got stronger as each day passed.

"Really?" Liam asked him with a vulnerable look, reaching up to wipe the stray tears that escaped from the chimera's eyes and Theo let out a wet laugh before nodding quickly. Liam smiled a little wetly himself before leaning in to kiss him desperately.

Their hearts were full as they kissed each other like it was their last, hands gripping and faces wet. Theo pulled back with a gasp as his eyes were glowing with his loss of control and he reached up quickly to wipe at the beta's face with his finger, his smile was weak and Liam merely smiled softly.

The beta stood then, reaching down to take Theo's hand gently and tugged him whilst walking backwards towards Liam's room, the chimera was helpless but to follow and his heart thumped loudly in his chest when he realised he couldn't hear any other heartbeats in the house.

"My mom went out to visit dad in the hospital, she wanted to take him out for some dinner." Liam answered his unspoken question as he pulled the chimera with him onto his bed and Theo merely nodded at the information.

Theo couldn't help but feel nervous, he didn't know why as he lay beside his boyfriend every night but this seemed to be leading somewhere and truth be told he'd follow Liam anywhere.

Liam looked up at him with warm reassuring eyes; silently letting him know that he could back out if he wanted with no repercussions but Theo was curious and wanted to fall off the precipice with the beta. He moved closer to his boyfriend, leaning over him and threading his fingers through Liam's hair as he looked down at the boy in front of him.

Theo had no idea what he was doing but he leaned in to kiss Liam lightly, he felt the beta's hand stroke down his back as his mouth opened slightly and the chimera took the chance to allow his tongue to slip into his boyfriend's mouth.

They mouthed at each other like that for a while, and Theo could feel his breath hitching as the beta dug his fingers into his side and bit his lip. The chimera moaned softly when Liam's left his and kissed down his neck, his nerve-endings on fire and the beta flipped them gently so he could straddle Theo.

To be pinned down like this was something Theo thought he would never want, he thought his coyote side would freak out at being so vulnerable but it was  _Liam_  and the beta never failed to sooth him. Their fingers linked together at either side of Theo's head as those lips found themselves back on his and their tongues danced together as Liam settled his weight onto him.

Theo could feel his wolf clawing with need but he held it back as he swept his tongue down his boyfriend's neck before nipping softly at the skin there, earning himself a soft sound from above and their breaths hitched when the beta instinctually ground down.

"Is this okay?" Liam asked worriedly, pulling back a little and Theo merely smiled lightly as he trusted the boy in front of him completely. That thought should have scared him, used to relying on himself but that was the old Theo and he slid a hand out of Liam's before reaching up to pull him down to his lips by the hair.

Liam let out a surprised sound before melting into his kiss, they thrusted their crotches together and breathed heavily into each other's gasping mouths. It felt so good, better than Theo would have ever thought such an intimate act could feel but it wasn't enough as their pants constricted them and Theo felt like he was ready for whatever the beta would give him.

Pulling back, Theo looked at Liam with glowing eyes as his control was weak right now and his boyfriend didn't look much better as his claws were out and he did a terrible job of hiding it. Theo smirked reassuringly, stroking his boyfriend's back and nuzzling against his neck affectionately.

"Theo." Liam started hesitantly, the chimera pulled back to meet his eyes and he noticed that Liam was biting his lip slightly.

"What is it?" He asked with a concerned frown.

"I just don't want to push you, if you're not read-." The beta said worriedly but Theo cut him off with a quick kiss.

"I'm ready for whatever you want, I love you and I trust you." Theo murmured honestly, his cheeks heating slightly after his confession and Liam smiled softly.

"Me too." Liam replied tenderly, kissing him again before pulling back and reaching over to his nightstand to pick up a little bottle of something. "You'll tell me if you want to stop right? Any time it's too much or if you feel nervous or whatever."

"Stop worrying so much, I'll tell you okay? If it's too much I'll say but you have to as well." He told his boyfriend with a look and Liam nodded solemnly. "Good, now get down here and kiss me."

Liam grinned before leaning down and Theo met him halfway as they kissed heatedly. Liam's hands made a slow slide down the chimera's sides, causing him to shiver when they slipped under the shirt and touched his heated skin. He sat up to pull off his shirt, Liam adjusting himself to sit on his lap as he began to kiss his way down his neck and pulled Liam's shirt off as well.

They sighed in relief when their chests touched, hands gliding along the exposed skin and Theo could feel his pants getting tighter as he licked along an exposed collarbone. Liam's breath hitched when he gave him a playful nip, his hand moved up to tighten in his hair as Theo's tongue brushed over his nipple and he took it into his mouth as he sucked lightly.

"Theo." Liam breathed, the beta pulled back and placed his hands on Theo's shoulder's as he pushed him down softly onto the bed again. Liam moved down to lick and bite at the chimera's neck desperately, the chimera couldn't help but groan softly at the sensations the other was causing and his hands slid down to Liam's jeans.

"Liam...can I?" He panted softly, Liam moved so he could look up at the chimera with a nervous grin and he nodded. Theo returned the nod, reaching down to undo his belt before he reached for the button of his boyfriend's jeans with shaking fingers and Liam's hands surrounded his before he could push them off.

"You sure?" Liam asked him with a worried smile, Theo nodded shakily and he allowed the beta to kiss him softly. He was nervous but he wanted this, had wanted this for a while and didn't know how much he'd wanted it until Liam was giving him this chance.

Liam sat up then, moving back to push off his jeans so he wouldn't accidentally kick Theo and he moved back over to straddle him again in just his boxers. The chimera's hands slid up the beta's thighs and Liam shivered as he leaned down again to kiss his way down Theo's neck, licking over his collarbone as his hands glided over his abs and the muscles rippled at the ticklish sensation.

Liam looked up nervously when his hands paused at the edge of his sweats, Theo nodded at the unspoken question and his eyes were wary as he realised that he didn't have any underwear on. The beta slowly pushed them down, swallowing timidly when his erection sprang free and Theo held his breath worriedly.

It was his first time doing anything like this so sue him but Liam's apprehension only lasted for a few moments before he smiled reassuringly at the chimera, his hand hovered over the length and his eyes met Theo's again in question. Theo nodded again in answer, this was it. This was what it had been leading up to, well obviously there would be more but this was where it would start; Theo was about to trust Liam with more than just his heart and his boyfriend swallowed audibly as he gently gripped his cock.

Theo let out the breath he'd been holding as the slow up and down movements of his hand was causing a pleasurable sensation. He felt himself flushing when he let out a quiet moan and Liam looked down at him in fascination as he quickly leaned down to kiss him after his initial nerves had worn off.

Theo's hand brushed through Liam's hair, tangling his fingers in the soft strands as his other hand slid down Liam's back before pushing lightly against the boxers and Liam got the message as he helped him remove them with a small grin.

Both of them let out quiet groans when their cocks rubbed together, lips meeting desperately and tongues dancing as they grinded against each other. Theo panted into his boyfriend mouth, Liam grinned against his lips before he pulled back and kissed down his chest, hand sliding against his abs again.

He paused, looking up at Theo warmly. "This okay?" He asked the chimera, making sure Theo was still comfortable and still wanting to do this, and Theo nodded as his eyes glowed again with his need. Liam looked nervous himself but his eyes were eager as he moved closer to Theo's cock, his hands squeezed the chimera's thighs as he licked a stripe up the chimera's length.

"Fuck." Theo breathed as he wasn't expecting it to feel so good, Liam kept gently licking and nipping at his cock as his fingers dug into the meat of his thighs. The chimera groaned softly, head falling back against the pillows, his hand slowly reaching down to bury itself in Liam's hair and his boyfriend merely hummed as he took the length into his mouth. "Liam." Theo panted, fingers tightening around the soft curls and he almost died on the spot when Liam met his eyes with a wicked grin.

Liam pulled back with a quiet pop, his cock landing wetly on his stomach and he sobered slightly at the serious look on his boyfriend's face.

"Theo..." He trailed off warily, not exactly sure how to ask but Theo wouldn't have it as he gently tugged the beta towards his mouth, Liam complying eagerly and they kissed heatedly as Theo was worked up from the ministrations of his boyfriend.

"Ask me." Theo murmured breathlessly, he knew what the beta wanted to ask but he wanted to hear him say it and his heart thundered frantically in his chest at the lust he felt.

"Can I...Can I fuck you?" Liam asked apprehensively and  _fuck_! Theo shouldn't have found that endearingly awkward question so hot but as it was he pulled Liam in for a frantic kiss. He'd always thought that he'd never want something like that; where he'd be put in a position that would make him so vulnerable but at the reassuring but shy look on his boyfriend's face, he smiled and nodded.

Liam smiled then, looking a little relieved but still trying to convey to Theo that he could say no whenever he wanted, the chimera merely smiled as he nudged at the beta's nose with his own as he wanted a kiss and his boyfriend didn't disappoint as their lips met softly and full of promise.

Liam moved back down again, kissing and nipping at his chest as he made his way to his cock and his hands dug back onto his thighs as he pushed them up and apart. Theo felt vulnerable but his coyote didn't stir as he was surrounded by Liam's scent and his wolf purred at the attention from his mate as the beta's sinful mouth sank down over his cock.

Theo moaned softly, clawed hands digging into the blankets as he heard a light clicking and he let out a startled gasp as he felt a wet finger circling his hole teasingly. He forced himself to relax as he felt the finger tentatively pushing in and although it hurt and felt a little awkward, the sensation's the other's mouth was causing distracted him enough to allow the smooth entry.

Liam's finger slowly moved in and out of his hole, circling at times to try and stretch him as Theo panted helplessly above him. When he felt lose enough, the finger eased out of him before more lube was applied and two was slowly making its way in and the chimera groaned at the intrusion.

"Does it hurt?" Liam asked carefully after he let go of Theo's cock, the chimera shook his head frantically as the fingers crooked inside of him and hit something, causing him to arch with a surprised moan.

"It's good." He murmured breathlessly, his voice was a pitch higher than usual and Liam looked at him like he was something to worship as his fingers picked up the pace and Theo moaned again as his hips began to gently thrust back onto the fingers inside him. "I think I'm ready." The chimera groaned, he was a little embarrassed with himself for falling apart so easily when Liam seemed to be so calm but the beta pulled his fingers out and added more lube before three pushed in.

"Fuck." Theo groaned, fangs dropping down as his control was truly lost and apologised internally for the damage he was going to cause to Liam's sheets with his claws but neither of them seemed to care and Theo could feel a stirring in his lower belly as he felt like he was getting close to the edge. "Liam, I'm ready. Come on." He moaned, lifting his head with difficulty to look at his boyfriend desperately and Liam's mouth dropped open as he witnessed just how out of control he made the chimera and he quickly eased his fingers out of his boyfriend before scrambling up to kiss his fanged mouth.

Theo kissed back desperately, afraid to touch his boyfriend with his hands in case he scratched him with his claws but Liam didn't seem to care as his hand found his and threaded their fingers together. His other hand was busy spreading more lube onto his cock before he positioned himself at Theo's entrance and their eyes met in nervous excitement.

"You ready?" Liam asked with a concerned frown but Theo carefully reached up with his free hand to stroke his cheek gently.

"Yes." He murmured, he couldn't imagine a better person to lose his virginity to and Liam smiled softly as he used his hand to aim and eased himself into the chimera.

Theo's breath hitched, it was a tight fit and he felt like he was being split open as the slide in hurt more than he thought it would.

"Should I stop?" Liam asked worriedly as he must have noticed the chimera's face tightening in pain but Theo shook his head resolutely.

"Keep going, I'll get used to it." He replied breathlessly but the beta slowed his pushing, the pain quickly receded as black veins travelled up the arm that had their fingers linked together and he smiled softly when Theo relaxed somewhat. "Thanks." Theo said affectionately as the beta was able to slide in a little easier without causing his boyfriend pain.

"I don't want to hurt you." Liam murmured in lieu of an explanation, giving the chimera time to adjust as he was buried to the hilt inside of him and Theo leaned up to kiss him, his other hand sliding up Liam's back to signal the beta to move.

Liam didn't need to be told twice, easing himself back before pushing back in gently in one smooth slide. The beta's breathing was picking up and Theo moaned quietly into his mouth as Liam's free hand slid up his thigh, holding it up and causing him to slide in deeper.

"Fuck, fuck." Theo panted as the beta picked up the pace and began to thrust a bit faster into him. Theo let out a high-pitched moan when Liam's cock hit that place inside of him and his toes curled as Liam aimed for that place every time. Liam groaned into his mouth as their tongues danced together, their fangs prevented them from keeping it up as they didn't want to cut each other and Theo could feel the tightening feeling in the pit of his belly.

"Theo." Liam moaned softly, eyes glowing now as he looked into his eyes and the chimera's wolf howled within as it met eyes with its mate. They clung to each other desperately, Liam's abs were brushing against Theo's cock as he thrusted mercilessly into his boyfriend and Theo growled softly as he couldn't hold back anymore. After a two, maybe three more thrusts he came, instinctually biting down on Liam's shoulder to hold back a howl and the beta growled in response as he chased his own release.

Theo felt the overstimulation as he panted exhaustedly against his boyfriend's neck but he wanted the werewolf to join him in bliss so he urged Liam on until finally his hips stuttered against his as Liam's own growl was buried in his neck and Theo's eyes lit up when he felt the fangs dig in.

They panted tiredly together as Liam collapsed against him. Theo stroked meaningless patterns along his back as he waited for his boyfriend to come down and Liam finally stirred and pulled back to look at him.

"You alright?" Theo asked him softly and Liam merely nodded before leaning down to kiss him tenderly.

"Did I hurt you?" Liam asked nervously, visibly relaxing when Theo shook his head with a fond expression.

"Sorry for biting you." Theo murmured as he noticed the bite mark on his shoulder, his wolf didn't seem apologetic at all but the chimera still felt bad for hurting his mate.

"I'm not, it was so hot." The beta replied with a light blush, leaning in to lick at the bite mark he'd made on Theo's neck and the chimera breathed in through his nose.

Theo felt warm and content as he pulled the beta closer and nuzzled into his shoulder. His wolf preened as their scents blended together in the most perfect way and Liam let out a sleepy sigh against his neck.

Theo moved slightly to pull the blankets over them so they couldn't give Jenna a scare if she happened to walk in, they fell asleep like that as their legs tangled together and arms holding each other close.

Everything was falling into place, it wasn't always going to be easy but Theo knew that they could get through anything together and although he was always going to have that part of him that didn't believe he deserved to have these things; he knew Liam would always be there with a patient hand and warm smile to bring him back from the edge.

It was that thought that soothed him to sleep as Liam had snuffled closer into his neck, a hand placed over his heart and Theo couldn't be more grateful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed, lemme know what you liked/didn't like or what you want to see in the epilogue <3 :3


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